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Koren Publishers Jerusalem is an Israeli publisher of Jewish religious texts. It was established in 1961 by Eliyahu Koren , with the aim of publishing the first Hebrew Bible designed, edited, printed, and bound by Jews in nearly 500 years. It produced The Koren Bible in 1962, The Koren Siddur in 1981, and the Koren Sacks Siddur in 2009, in addition to numerous editions of these books and other religious texts in Hebrew, English, and other languages.

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43-409: Koren Publishers Jerusalem was founded in 1961 by Eliyahu Koren, who sought to publish the first Hebrew Bible designed, edited, printed, and bound by Jews in nearly 500 years. The first printed Hebrew Bibles from Italy (1488) were printed by Jews, but after Daniel Bomberg ’s 1517 Venice printing, all editions up to the 20th century had non-Jewish publishers or printers, and errors had found their way into

86-498: A Passover Haggada , Five Megillot , and The Koren Siddur (Prayerbook), introduced in 1981, which featured a new font, Koren Book Type , to maximize legibility, and a new graphic layout to facilitate proper reading, reinforce the inner meaning of the text, and create an elegant overall appearance. Koren Publishers Jerusalem continues to publish a wide variety of Jewish religious texts in Hebrew, English, and other languages. Since 2007,

129-460: A contemporary audience. A companion to the scriptural text, Israel's study of remains faithful to I Kings even as it rises above a strictly technical understanding and establishes this oft-overlooked segment of the canon as highly relevant for the modern world. Lau's volume on Jeremiah , available in both Hebrew and English, is "a very lucid and readable book that...challenges us to grapple with our understanding of one of our most beloved prophets who

172-538: A critical point in his life, that he consult with "A Jew in Maryland, whose name is Weinreb". Upon revealing to Schneerson that he himself was Rabbi Weinreb, the Rebbe replied that "sometimes one must consult with oneself". This piece of advice was regarded by Weinreb as highly invigorating and empowering. Weinreb is a widely regarded scholar on the subject of domestic violence which helped contributed to his appointment following

215-656: A fee of 100 ducats, the Venetian senate refused, accusing Bomberg's Hebrew publications of attacking the Catholic faith. Several months later, for a fee of 500 ducats, they approved his appeal and renewed his license. Unlike the previously printed editions of the Talmud, Bomberg's work was largely uncensored. In the early stages of his career he cultivated a positive relationship with the Vatican, and he received approval from Pope Leo X for both

258-414: A new series of siddurim with "a new approach to tefilla (prayer) education in the school, home, and synagogue." The series editor is educator Daniel Rose, PhD. The Koren Children’s Siddur is an illustrated prayer book intended for early elementary grades (ages 5–7). It was designed to encourage and facilitate children’s engagement in the prayer experience. The Koren Ani Tefilla Weekday Siddur was developed for

301-529: A pioneer in Hebrew printing in Venice [Bomberg] established so high a standard that no one has surpassed his work, even with the aid of modern mechanical improvements, and it is a question whether Hebrew printing has yet equaled the quality and taste shown in the productions of the Bomberg press." On December 22, 2015, a well-preserved complete copy of the first edition of Bomberg's Babylonian Talmud, formerly contained in

344-612: A standard of quality that subsequent books are found advertising themselves to be printed “with Bomberg type." The title page of a book of Psalms from 1765 – centuries after Bomberg's death – gives testament to the lasting gratitude Jewish communities felt toward him. The dedication reads: “Daniel Bomberg, whose name is known in the gates of justice […] was great among the Christians, producing gold from his purse in order to print from his printing press…” In his book “Venetian Printers of Hebrew Books,” Joshua Bloch wrote: "[A]s

387-580: Is English." Subsequently, the Jewish Book Council named the Koren Talmud Bavli a 2012 National Jewish Book Award winner in the category of Modern Jewish Thought and Experience. Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Koren Talmud Bavli. Rabbi Shalom Z. Berger serves as Senior Content Editor. In May 2014, Koren, along with Yeshiva University , announced the launch of

430-445: Is his publication of the editio princeps (first printed edition) of the complete Babylonian Talmud , which he completed in under four years. Bomberg adopted the format created by Joshua Solomon Soncino , who printed the first individual tractates of the Talmud in 1483, with the Talmud text in the middle of the page and the commentaries of Rashi and Tosfot surrounding it. Published with the approval of Pope Leo X , this edition became

473-540: Is known about his death some time between 1549 and 1553. Bomberg began his printing career in 1517 with the first edition of Mikraot Gdolot (Rabbinic Bible). The four volume set included the Hebrew Pentateuch with accompanying commentaries (many of which had never previously been printed), a Targum (Aramaic translation), the haftarot and the Five Megillot . It was printed with the approval of Pope Leo X and

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516-475: Is the only Orthodox siddur that includes prayers for the state of Israel, its soldiers and national holidays, and a halakhic guide for visitors; prayers following childbirth and upon the birth of a daughter; and citations of modern authorities. Upon its release, the siddur was "widely celebrated among Modern Orthodox Jews". The Koren Sacks Siddur is published with the Orthodox Union . In May 2012, Koren launched

559-534: The Baruch Lanner debacle. Although the presidency of the OU is a leadership position, Weinreb acted as the official chief executive officer of the organization. In early 2007 it was announced that he was to step down from his position, however in an interview with The Forward he made it clear that this was not of his own choice, and following pressure he was asked to retain his position until 2009. In 2009, Weinreb

602-603: The Koren Talmud Bavli , a bilingual edition of the Talmud with translation and commentary by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz . The layout features side-by-side English/Aramaic translation, maps, diagrams and explanatory notes based on Rabbi Steinsaltz's original Hebrew commentary on the Talmud. The project was hailed by Commentary Magazine as "a landmark in making the text accessible to the millions of Jews whose native (and often only) tongue

645-575: The Maharam Padua . Bomberg's Talmud edition is generally considered highly accurate, and many bibliographers and historians have praised the precision of the text. In 1518, Bomberg requested and received from the Venetian Senate the exclusive printing rights to the Talmud, and received official endorsement from Pope Leo X . Nonetheless, Venetian politicians were suspicious of Hebrew printing. In 1525, when Bomberg attempted to renew his license for

688-711: The Orthodox Union , the largest Orthodox Jewish organisation in North America ; a position he has held since 2002. Weinreb serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Koren Talmud Bavli with commentary by Adin Steinsaltz . He received his rabbinic ordination from the Rabbi Jacob Joseph Yeshiva in New York. He received his master's degree in Psychology from the New School for Social Research , and earned his PhD from

731-840: The University of Maryland . For 13 years he was the rabbi at Congregation Shomrei Emunah in Baltimore . He served on the Rabbinic Cabinet of United Jewish Communities , on the Executive Committee of the Rabbinical Council of America , and on the boards of various other organizational and educational institutions. In what Weinreb calls a "life changing phone call", the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson , responded to Weinreb's (anonymous) request for advice at

774-557: The Valmadonna Trust Library , sold at a Sotheby's auction for $ 9.3 million to Leon Black , a New York businessman who founded Apollo Global Management , a private equity firm. [REDACTED] Media related to Daniel Bomberg at Wikimedia Commons Tzvi Hersh Weinreb Tzvi Hersh Weinreb (born 1940 ) is an Amrican ordained rabbi and psychotherapist who is the Executive Vice President Emeritus of

817-463: The 50th anniversary of the Koren Jerusalem Bible. In addition, a number of publications under Koren Publishers Jerusalem have received honors from the Jewish Book Council , known as "the longest running awards program of its kind in the field of Jewish literature and is recognized as the most prestigious." Daniel Bomberg Daniel Bomberg ( c.  1483 – c.  1549 )

860-642: The Ages, Torah MiEtzion: New Readings in Tanakh, Torah Lights by Shlomo Riskin , and the Maggid Studies in Tanakh. The Torah MiEtzion series presents essays on the five books of the Bible from the rabbis of Yeshivat Har Etzion . The approach of the series is "centered on learning the 'simple meaning' of the text but also incorporating the disciplines of literary theory, geography, archeology and history in order to better understand

903-460: The Talmud established the standard both in terms of page layout as well as pagination (with the exception of the tractate Berachot which follows Bomberg's second edition). Prior to the printing of the Talmud, manuscripts had no standard page division, and the Talmud text usually did not appear on the same page as the commentaries, which were contained in separate codices. The standard page layout in use in all conventional editions of Talmud today (also

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946-590: The UK Rabbi Jonathan Sacks , Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik , Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz , Rabbi Shlomo Riskin , Rabbi Berel Wein , Erica Brown and others. The imprint has partnerships with a number of Jewish institutions including Yeshivat Har Etzion , Yeshiva University , Rabbi Shlomo Riskin 's Ohr Torah Stone Institutions, Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies , and the City of David . Its acclaimed series include Norman Lamm ’s Derashot LeDorot: A Commentary for

989-518: The accepted method of citing a Talmudic reference) follows the pagination of Bomberg's 1523 publication. The earliest printed Talmuds were published by the Soncino family decades prior to Bomberg's Talmud. Though the Soncinos only printed about sixteen tractates, Bomberg clearly based his own publication after their model. Gershon Soncino claimed that in addition to emulating his layout, Bomberg also copied

1032-483: The chapter numbers as part of the book itself. Bomberg not only added the chapter numbers; he was the first to indicate verse numbers on the printed page. Though verse numbers were used by convention for centuries, no one had thought to include these numbers on the printed page of the bible. This seemingly trivial innovation immediately caught on and can be seen in many bibles of his era, and is still in use today. Though Bomberg opposed censorship in principle, he knew of

1075-837: The church did not successfully interfere with Bomberg's printing within his lifetime, by 1553 the Talmud was being burned in Italy and the church was actively seeking to restrict its publication and circulation. In addition to the Mikraot Gdolot and the Babylonian Talmud , Bomberg's printing house published some two hundred other Hebrew books, many for the first time. Some of the more notable works published include: In addition to these works, Bomberg's publishing house released dozens of prayer books and commentaries on prayer, grammars, dictionaries and concordances and many more rabbinic, philosophic and ethical works. Bomberg's printing became such

1118-407: The controversial potential of printing texts seen as threatening to Christianity. Thus, for example, the commentary of Rabbi David Kimchi (Radak) was significantly censored because it contained material that could possibly be seen as offensive by Christians. These were published later in a separate book, which Bomberg released in a limited edition. Probably Bomberg's most impressive accomplishment

1161-539: The editing was overseen by the Jewish convert to Christianity Felix Pratensis . The first edition generated harsh criticism by Jewish audiences, possibly because of its numerous errors, albeit mostly minor issues in the cantillation and pronunciation marks, and possibly because of the involvement of the apostate Pratensis. In a second edition edited by Yaakov b. Hayim Adonijah hundreds of such errors were fixed, and though it still generated criticism, it nonetheless served as

1204-422: The help of three scholars, all of who suffered from the same lack of masoretic expertise ... while the publisher made persistent claims that this was the first edition set and printed in their old/new homeland, this was, in fact ... hardly an edition like that of Dotan , but another rehash of the material prepared by ben Hayim ." Koren Publishers Jerusalem went on to publish other Jewish religious texts, including

1247-632: The inquiring high school student and thoughtful adult. It features a unique layout and multi-tier commentary by Rabbi Jay Goldmintz, EdD, along with explanations, reflective questions, FAQs on Jewish prayer and spirituality based on real questions collected by Rabbi Goldmintz's students, alumni and colleagues. Created in 2009, Maggid publishes books that offer contemporary approaches to traditional Jewish texts and themes. The imprint stands on three pillars: scholarship, loyalty to Jewish tradition, and popular appeal. In recent years, Maggid has published works by well-known Jewish thinkers such as former Chief Rabbi of

1290-593: The margins. The editions set standards that are still in use today, in particular the pagination of the Babylonian Talmud. His publishing house printed about 200 Hebrew books, including Siddurim , responsa , codes of law, works of philosophy and ethics and commentaries. He was the first Hebrew printer in Venice and the first non-Jewish printer of Hebrew books. Bomberg was born around 1483 in Antwerp , Brabant to Cornelius van Bombergen and Agnes Vranckx. Van Bombergen

1333-505: The publication of Mikraot Gdolot as well as the Talmud. In later years Hebrew printing was viewed with mounting suspicion. By the end of his career, in the late 1540s, fears of censorship and church opposition caused Bomberg to release editions of the Talmud with backdated cover pages. In 1548 Pope Paul III dispatched his ambassador to censure the venetian Hebrew publications, but Bomberg argued that ancient manuscripts were not to be altered, and successfully resisted papal pressure. Though

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1376-591: The publisher has been Matthew Miller. Rabbi Reuven Ziegler serves as Chairman of the Editorial board . In 2009, Koren published its first Hebrew/English prayerbook, The Koren Siddur . This prayer book is based on The Koren Siddur and with an English introduction, translation, and commentary by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks , Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Commonwealth. It

1419-566: The standard format, which all later editions have followed. The project was overseen by chief editor Rabbi Chiya Meir b. David, a rosh yeshiva and dayan (judge) on the Venice rabbinical court. In addition to the Rashi and the Tosfot on the page, Bomberg included other commentaries at the back, such as Rabbeinu Asher (Rosh), Maimonides ’ commentary on the Mishna and Piskei Tosfot. The Bomberg edition of

1462-521: The standard upon which future printings of Mikraot Gdolot were based. Bomberg was the first to print chapter and verse numbers in a Hebrew bible. Today this innovation has become so commonplace it is hard to believe how remarkable it was at the time. The division of the Vulgate into chapters was made in the 13th century, and Jews began adopting the numbers for use in concordances by the mid fourteen hundreds, yet until Bomberg, no Hebrew bible had ever included

1505-427: The text. The text, vocalization, and cantillation for The Koren Bible were based on an early 19th-century Bible edition of German-Jewish grammarian and masoretic scholar Wolf Heidenheim . Koren created a new font, Koren Bible Type , for the project, developed a graphic layout that allowed for the unity of the Hebrew type, and corrected numerous errors of earlier editions. The Torah , the first part of The Koren Bible,

1548-637: The text." The series "resurrected and revolutionized the study of the Torah." The Maggid Studies in Tanakh series explores the texts, themes, and personalities of the Bible through both classic rabbinic interpretation and modern scholarly investigation. Featuring English translations, timelines and maps, the first two books in the series — "Jeremiah: The Fate of a Prophet" by Binyamin Lau and "I Kings: Torn in Two" by Alex Israel — reveal hidden layers of meaning in these ancient texts for

1591-686: The texts of the Soncino Talmuds, a claim some modern scholars, such as Raphael Rabinovicz, have substantiated. Still, Bomberg printed many tractates that Soncino never released, which were obviously rendered directly from manuscripts, and even the editions which may have borrowed from Soncino's text show evidence of having been supplemented by additional manuscripts. Bomberg employed some of Venice's leading scholars and Rabbis in his publishing house. Besides Rabbi Chiya Meir b. David, rosh yeshiva and dayan in Venice, there were notable figures such as Rabbi Avraham de Balmes, Rabbi Chaim b. Rabbi Moshe Alton, and

1634-630: The topic of leadership. Created in 1999, The Toby Press publishes literary fiction, non-fiction and poetry on Jewish and Israeli themes. It is also the US distributor for Koren Publishers Jerusalem. The house was commended by The Jewish Week for its "fastidiously accurate and aesthetically sensitive presentation of the Hebrew Scriptures and the prayer book." In December 2012, the Israel Postal Authority issued an official postage stamp honoring

1677-628: Was a merchant who sent his son to Venice to help with the family business. There Daniel met Felix Pratensis (Felice da Prato), an Augustinian friar who had converted from Judaism, and who is said to be the one who encouraged Bomberg to print Hebrew books. Bomberg established an initially successful printing press in Venice, in which he supposedly invested over 4,000,000 ducats . Other sources, likely equally exaggerated, claim that he lost at least as much. He returned to Antwerp in 1539, though his press continued to operate until 1548, and it seems he retained some level of involvement throughout. Very little

1720-715: Was charged with a terrible message." The third volume, "Joshua: The Challenge of the Promised Land" by Michael Hattin, will be published in July 2014. In February 2013, Maggid Books "set an all-time record" at the Jerusalem International Book Fair as it launched the book, "Radical Responsibility: Celebrating the Thought of Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks". More than 1,000 guests came to hear Rabbi Jonathan Sacks , Rabbi Dr. Binyamin Lau and Professor Moshe Halbertal address

1763-409: Was one of the most important early printers of Hebrew books. A Christian Hebraist who employed rabbis, scholars and apostates in his Venice publishing house, Bomberg printed the first Mikraot Gdolot (Rabbinic Bible) and the first complete Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds , based on the layout pioneered by the Soncino family printers , with the commentaries of Rashi , and of the Tosfot in

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1806-633: Was published in 1962, during the Chanukah holiday. The entire Bible followed nearly two years later. The Koren Bible quickly gained wide acceptance among many different Jewish communities. It is the edition accepted by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel for reading the Haftara (prophetic portions) in synagogues when the handwritten parchment scroll is not used, and, until the introduction of the Jerusalem Crown ,

1849-460: Was the Bible on which the President of Israel is sworn into office. Koren Publishers Jerusalem later introduced a Hebrew/English edition of the Bible with a translation by Biblical and literary scholar Professor Harold Fisch. However, the quality of the text has been criticized by scholars. For example, Moshe Goshen-Gottstein said: "Since he was aware of his lack in masoretic expertise, he sought

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