Goal: To produce a siddur (Shabbat prayer book) that is fully representative of the interests, talents and philosophy of the Princeton Reform community and to engage in a long-term, community-wide study of Jewish prayer and prayers.

Background: Our siddur will be a product of our communal study and creativity. It will include both the traditional prayers found in any Reform prayer book, and a variety of other creative works, perhaps readings, artwork, poems and commentaries inspired by the prayers themselves. We will also explore new and old ways approaching Shabbat prayer, from prayer books from other Jewish communities to feminist and gender-sensitive interpretations. When we are done we will print and bind our prayer book so that it will last for years to come.

Deadlines: We anticipate this process will take ten months. By the end of this academic year, we hope to have a basic outline and we plan complete a final draft of the siddur by February 2004.

We plan to have monthly study-breaks and study-sessions where, over yummy food, we will piece together our siddur. At some, we will invite notable teachers and scholars to talk with us about Jewish prayer and prayers. At others, we will study and work on the project together. 

At each of our meetings, we'll have an informal 30-45 minute program that will combine discussion and an activity about a particular section of the service or an idea related to prayer and we'll also spend a few minutes discussing "the particulars" of the project. We also plan to invite experts on specific issues to speak to our community.