''Gates of Prayer, the New Union Prayer Book'' (''GOP'') is a Reform Jewish

siddur A siddur ( he, סִדּוּר ; plural siddurim ) is a Jewish prayer book containing a set order of daily prayers. The word comes from the Hebrew root , meaning 'order.' Other terms for prayer books are ''tefillot'' () among Sephardi Jews, '' ...

that was announced in October 1975 as a replacement for the 80-year-old '' Union Prayer Book'' (''UPB''), incorporating more Hebrew content and was updated to be more accessible to modern worshipers. The prayer book was officially approved by the Joint Commission on Worship of the

Union of American Hebrew Congregations The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America. The other two arms established b ...

(now the Union for Reform Judaism) and the

Central Conference of American Rabbis The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), founded in 1889 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the principal organization of Reform rabbis in the United States and Canada. The CCAR is the largest and oldest rabbinical organization in the world. I ...

.Spiegel, Irving
"RABBIS ANNOUNCE NEW PRAYER BOOK; Translations Modernized in Reform Group's First Revision in 80 Years"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', October 11, 1975. Accessed March 5, 2009.

Many changes

There were many changes in wording aimed at gender neutrality, such as changing "our fathers" to "our ancestors". The "thees" and "thous" of the ''UPB'' were all changed to "you". A wide variety of prayer options are offered, including ten for Friday night services, six for Shabbat morning and others for holidays, weekdays and other special occasions. Additional readings were included from philosophers

Martin Buber Martin Buber ( he, מרטין בובר; german: Martin Buber; yi, מארטין בובער; February 8, 1878 – June 13, 1965) was an Austrian Jewish and Israeli philosopher best known for his philosophy of dialogue, a form of existentialism ...

and Alfred North Whitehead; poets E. E. Cummings,

John Masefield John Edward Masefield (; 1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate from 1930 until 1967. Among his best known works are the children's novels ''The Midnight Folk'' and ...

and Nelly Sachs; Rabbi

Abraham Joshua Heschel Abraham Joshua Heschel (January 11, 1907 – December 23, 1972) was a Polish-born American rabbi and one of the leading Jewish theologians and Jewish philosophers of the 20th century. Heschel, a professor of Jewish mysticism at the Jewish T ...

and from Elie Wiesel. In its 779 pages, ''Gates of Prayer'' added services to commemorate

Israeli Independence Day Independence Day ( he, יום העצמאות ''Yom Ha'atzmaut'', lit. "Day of Independence") is the national day of Israel, commemorating the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948. The day is marked by official and unofficial ceremonies ...

and

The Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

, reflecting the changed realities from the days of the ''Union Prayer Book''. An optional Hebrew opening format was offered for the first time and Friday night service variations were included, all reflecting a greater acceptance of traditional forms of Jewish worship that had been eliminated in the ''UPB''. The ''GOP'' sold 50,000 copies in its inaugural year and had sales of some 1.5 million as of 2006.Stevens, Elliot L
"The Prayer Books, They Are A'Changin'"
, reprinted from '' Reform Judaism (magazine)'', Summer 2006. Accessed March 4, 2009.

Criticism and follow-up

''Gates of Prayer'' was criticized as being a non-cohesive collection of prayers, resulting in a prayer book that was too large, and for its retention of masculine pronouns when referring to God. To address these issues, some congregations prepared their own prayer materials (often with edits to neutralize gender) or continued use of the ''Union Prayer Book''. A project to address these concerns and increase the poeticism of a future prayerbook was initiated in 1981. Israeli poet T. Carmi was brought in to provide guidance on post-biblical Hebrew texts that could be incorporated into the Reform liturgy. The "Carmi Project" generated hundreds of possibilities, many of which would later be integrated into ''

Mishkan T'filah ''Mishkan T'filah—A Reform Siddur'' is a prayer book prepared for Reform Jewish congregations around the world by the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR). ''Mishkan T'filah (משכן תפלה)'' is Hebrew for "Dwelling Place for Prayer" ...

'', the successor to ''Gates of Prayer''.

References

{{Reflist

External links

''Gates of Prayer''
(official website) * A. Stanley Dreyus (1991),
The Gates Liturgies: Reform Judaism Reforms Its Worship
in: Paul F. Bradshaw and Lawrence A. Hoffman, eds., ''The Changing Face of Jewish and Christian Worship in North America'' (Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press), 1991. 1975 non-fiction books Reform Judaism Reform Zionism Siddur versions