History
An original version of the prayer book was published in 1892, based on the Minhag America prayer book authored in 1847 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise. By the time it was released, a group within the Reform movement led by Rabbi David Einhorn of Baltimore sought to implement greater changes, and the 1892 editions were recalled at significant cost.
The 1895 release was edited by Rabbi Kaufmann Kohler, author of the Pittsburgh Platform of 1885 that established the tenets of "Classical Reform". This version eliminated aspects from the traditional concepts of Jews as a chosen people, a personal Messiah, resurrection and of a return to Israel. References to the role of the priesthood and sacrificial offerings were removed, most notably by the excision of the musaf service on Shabbat and holidays. The service in the Union Prayer Book was structured to have little participation from congregants, with most aspects of prayer delegated to the rabbi and choir. Specific instructions for when the congregation would stand and sit were included. By July 1895, the Publication Committee of the Central Conference of American Rabbis reported that the first and second volumes of the Union Prayer Book had been published and were in use by 55 of "the most prominent congregations in the United States" in 23 states, within two months of its introduction.
Associate Rabbi Judah Leon Magnes of Manhattan's Congregation Emanu-El delivered a Passover sermon in 1910 in which he advocated changes in the Reform ritual to incorporate elements of traditional Orthodox Judaism, expressing his concern that younger members of the congregation were driven to seek spirituality in other religions that cannot be obtained at Temple Emanu-El. He advocated for restoration of the Bar Mitzvah ceremony and criticized the petrification of the Union Prayer Book, advocating for a return to the traditional prayer book, "which reflects the religious yearnings of countless generations of our ancestors". Rabbi Kaufmann Kohler defended the Union Prayer Book in a May 1910 sermon that responded to Rabbi Magnes' criticisms, emphasizing that "whatever was inspiring and elevating in the old prayer book has been retained in the Union Prayer Book", which reflects "the ripe fruit of half a century of toil by Reform geniuses".
The 1918 (revised) and 1940 (newly revised) editions of the Union Prayer Book were intended to accommodate "the needs of conservative congregations insofar as these do not conflict with the principles of the Conference", changing the word "Minister" in the first and second editions to "Reader" in the 1940 edition. The 1940 edition showed a greater emphasis on Jewish peoplehood, reflecting a 1937 Reform platform that supported the creation of a homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine.
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