Egged has launched a new campaign by which a passenger presenting a ‘RavKav’ smart card can receive a siddur from Feldheim. The siddur will even have one’s name inscribed without charge. In order to obtain the prize, one must visit Feldheim, show a smart card and make a 30 NIS purchase and then one become eligible for the free siddur.
According to a Kikar Shabbat report, the campaign appears to only target Ashkenazim since none of the siddurim being offered are the nusach of Sephardim. Kikar says that Feldheim employees explain they don’t publish siddurim for Sephardim.
Kikar phoned Feldheim and was told “one does not select a siddur but one is given a siddur” seemingly one takes that which one receives without selecting a nusach. The employee adds that it appears whoever arranged the new campaign did not think of this and there are no siddurim for Sephardim (עדות המזרח). Feldheim adds that Egged made the decision, not the book publisher, adding that a Sephardi can always make the siddur a gift to an Ashkenazi.
Learning of the error, Egged apologizes; somewhat embarrassed after realizing the new campaign literally ignores the many Sephardim who ride the bus.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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10 Responses
Clearly this was not an intentional slight of Sephardeshe yidden. Eged meant well and to my knowledge, no one has ever lost his chelek of olam haboh for davening from a siddur with different nusach. As a Litvashe yid, i wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve had to remember to add a “v’yatzmach purkanai v’korev ma’shichei” in kaddish when running in to daven at a Separdeshe shtiebel near my office when I didn’t have time to go to my regular minyan.
It also ignores chilonim and arabs, who don’t use siddurim altogether. Apparently the complainers feel that there should be no siddur giveaways altogether as it leaves out the frei and goyim.
Not true – the feldheim simanim siddur is available in eidot hamizrach, and was published in 2009in Israel.
Or perhaps they are handing out “Nusach Sfrad” sidduring, which while developed among Hasidim following the nusach of the Arizel, is now used in the Israeli army as its official nusach under the name “Nusach ahid” (mildly ignoring misnagdim and seriously annoying Sefardim and Bnei Adot ha-Mizrach).
To No. 5
The IDF siddurim are actually much closer to Rav Schneur Zalman’s siddur used by many Lubavitch and Belzer minyanim
This is such a sad unnecessary mistake ; and Feldheim is going to lose out, because the Sfardim apparently plan a boycott.
Nothing new under the sun. Not the first time Sephardim have been left out, and sadly probably not the last. Like when speeches are given in Yiddish, a language that has absolutely no connection to Sephardim…
Gadol—– Do you really think the only difference between the sephardic and ashkenazic nuscha’ot is only a few words in the kaddish? Your myopic thinking is worse than egged’s mistake. But the response of the Csar is repugnant. Why don’t you think first before your fingers touch the keyboard?Shame on you!
Its the low self esteem of the safardim that seek to find discrimnation! How sad
The complaint is ridiculous. Suppose Egged ran a promotion offering free hamburgers, and vegetarian passengers complained! If the prize being offered is not to your taste or doesn’t fulfil your needs, don’t take advantage of it. There’s no reason every promotion a company runs should cater to everybody’s lifestyle.