News
KOREN TALMUD BAVLI WINS NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD
The Koren Talmud Bavli has been named a winner of the 2012 National Book Award. Established in 1948 by the Jewish Book Council, the National Jewish Book Award is the most prestigious awards program for Jewish literature. The Koren Talmud Bavli has been awarded the prize in the category of Modern Jewish Thought and Practice category.
The Koren Talmud Bavli takes its place among other Koren publications that have been recognized by the Jewish Book Council in recent years: the Koren Sacks Siddur was a finalist for a National Jewish Book Award in 2009 and the Koren Mesorat HaRav Kinot was a recipient of a National Jewish Book Award in 2010. Koren’s imprint, Maggid Books, has won recognition by the Jewish Book Council for the following: The Blessing of a Broken Heart by Sherri Mandell, Subversive Sequels by Judy Klitsner and Covenant and Conversation by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks.
Koren Publishers will accept the award at the 62nd Annual National Jewish Book Awards Ceremony and Gala at the Center for Jewish History in New York City on March 14, 2013
Israeli Postage Stamp to Mark 50th Anniversary of The Koren Tanakh
The State of Israel will honor Koren Publishers Jerusalem by issuing a postage stamp to mark the 50th anniversary of The Koren Tanakh on December 12, 2012. The 9.40NIS stamp was designed by Israeli graphic artist Zvika Roitman, and features the Koren Jerusalem Bible alongside the Israeli flag. An accompanying envelope for the first day issue stamp features a quote from the former Speaker of the Knesset, Kadish Luz, who declared in 1962: “From this day forth, all of Israel’s presidents shall take their oaths of office on this Bible.”The State of Israel selected The Koren Tanakh amongst thousands of entries because of the historical and cultural contribution it represents: it was the first Tanakh published in the modern State of Israel, and the first Tanakh to be designed, edited, printed and bound by Jews in 500 years.
Koren Tanakh Named Official Tanakh of Prime Minister's Study Circle
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has chosen The Koren Tanakh as the official Tanakh of the Tanakh Study Circle, a group of leading rabbis, scholars, and political leaders that will meet regularly to study at the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem. The Tanakh Study Circle renews a tradition initiated by Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, and reinstated by Prime Minister Menachem Begin in the 1970s. In May 2012, Prime Minister Netenyahu and his wife, Sara, dedicated the Tanakh Study Circle in memory of Sara's father, Shmuel Ben-Artzi, a writer, poet, and Tanakh teacher who died in November 2011. Prime Minister Netanyahu said at the gathering, “Ben-Gurion and Begin believed that the Tanakh should be the heritage of the entire nation – secular and religious, young and old, men and women. The Tanakh is the foundation of our existence. It unites the Jewish People, as it has throughout the generations.”
Members of the Tanakh Study Circle will use The Koren Tanakh, the first Hebrew Bible created in the modern State of Israel. The Koren Tanakh, which remains the most accurate edition of the Bible, and is the most widely used edition in Israel, celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2012.
Jerusalem Street Named for Eliyahu Koren
The City of Jerusalem has named a street for master typographer, Jerusalemite, and founder of Koren Publishers Jerusalem, Eliyahu Koren. An official ceremony took place on September 22, 2009 in the Har Homa neighborhood, where Eliyhau Koren Street can now be found.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat addressed the crowd, which included Koren family members, Koren Publishers Jerusalem staff, and neighborhood residents. Mayor Barkat praised Mr. Koren’s commitment to the City of Jerusalem (Mr. Koren designed the official city emblem which remains in use) and his life-long work creating editions of Jewish texts that are unparalleled in their accuracy and beauty.
In having a Jerusalem street named in his memory, Eliyahu Koren joins the ranks of Israel’s most important religious, political and cultural figures.
Bnei Akiva Gap-Year Participants Receive Special Edition Koren Sacks Siddurim
More than 300 World Bnei Akiva members received special edition Koren Sacks Siddurim at a Jerusalem ceremony to mark their entrance into this year’s Bnei Akiva Hachshara Gap-Year Program. The siddurim were specially commissioned for the occasion.
This year’s Bnei Akiva Gap-Year Program includes participants from the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Holland, Australia, South Africa, Mexico, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland and Spain. One participant, Sophie Truman, conveyed her excitement: “Tonight was very exciting. Who would have known there were so many Bnei Akiva enthusiasts from all over the world - even Mexico! Getting the beautiful Bnei Akiva Koren Sacks Siddur was a really nice surprise, and I am happy to have received this unique gift."
Koren Publishers wishes all Bnei Akiva members a wonderful year in Israel.
