EDUCATIONAL PRAYER FOR GIRLS IN MANDATORY JERUSALEM: THE CASE OF THE EVELINA DE ROTHSCHILD SIDDURIM

This essay focuses on the different editions of one of the first educational Siddurim (prayerbooks) published in Eretz Israel during the British Mandate period. The Siddur was created and edited by Annie Landau (1873-1945), longtime headmistress of the Evelina de Rothschild School for Girls, and a close study of these early editions reveals that, in editing them, Landau made meaningful decisions regarding content, language, pedagogy and of course gender: Which parts of the daily prayers would be recited at school, and which would be left out? How should the Siddur reflect the feminine identity of its users? And to what extent should it reflect her own religious values? Examining the slight yet meaningful differences between the school's first three Siddurim (as well as a fourth one, published after Landau's death) sheds light on Landau's character as a headmistress and editor, but also on the unique nature of the school she led and the challenges of creating regular prayers for Jewish girls in Mandatory Jerusalem. Finally, Landau's initiative is examined in comparison to a number of other educational Siddurim published in Eretz Israel during this period, which differed from her own in more than one respect.
Preface In addition to its primarily liturgical role, the Siddur (the Jewish prayerbook) is also a significant component of the religious Jewish educational system. At least in the last several [...]