For the first time in more than a century, a comprehensive new siddur (Jewish prayerbook) with a full contemporary translation into German has been published in Berlin.

The one-volume siddur encompasses all daily and annual prayers, along with instructions and explanations. “This siddur has all the prayers that a person needs for the entire year, including the holidays, except from Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur,” said its publisher, Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal, rabbi of the Jewish community in Berlin and the Chabad-Lubavitch emissary in the German capital.

The Tehillat Hashem siddur, whose production spanned four years, features nearly 1,400 pages of clear print and attractive design, said Teichtal. It was published in conjunction and with the permission of the Kehot Publication Society in New York.

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“Publishing this siddur also marks the opening of a new Jewish publishing house in Germany,” said the rabbi. While in the process of compiling the siddur, he decided to create the new Jewish publishing house, which he named Juedisches. This siddur is its first publication.

The next stage is for Juedisches to print other foundational Jewish works in German, he continued. Presently, it is working to publish a sefer Tehillim (Psalms) with German translation; to date, approximately one-third of the job is already complete.

“Aside from the technical advantage of translating the prayers into German, I feel that one way to encourage the younger generation to join us in remembering and honoring the past is by linking memories of the past to a revitalized movement of Jewish spirituality,” Teichtal told Chabad.org

“The fact that specifically here, in a place where they attempted to exterminate European Jewry, there is now a vibrant, active Jewish community—as manifest by the publication of one of the most prominent and basic Jewish works in the German language—attests to the spiritual force and power of humanity, and of the Jewish nation, in particular. I sincerely hope that this will be a source of inspiration and message of unity to a younger generation,” he said.

Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal, right, with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier

Aside from the actual prayers, translation and elucidation, the siddur also includes Pirkei Avot; Torah readings for Mondays, Thursdays and holidays; and basic Jewish laws of prayer. The prayer section is divided into weekday, Shabbat, holiday and fast days. The project was completed by a team of five, including a main editor, translators and proofreaders, all of whom are members of the Jewish community in Berlin. The endeavor was made possible thanks to generous support of the community.

The siddur and other Jewish publications in German can be purchased at www.juedisches.org