Sinai Publishing Company

Sinai Publishing Company (Hebrew: הוצאת סיני, also styled "Sinai – House of Trade and Publishing of Books") is a veteran Jewish religious bookstore and publishing house based in Tel Aviv, Israel. It operates from Rambam St. 24 on the Nahalat Binyamin pedestrian mall, where it sells sacred books, mezuzot, tefillin, tallitot, bar-mitzvah sets, and a wide range of Judaica. The firm traces its lineage to the "Josef Schlesinger Book Trade and Publishing House," founded in Vienna in 1860 by Josef Ginz-Schlesinger, which published prayer books, Bibles, mahzorim, Passover Haggadot, and Psalms and expanded across Central Europe and overseas. After the Nazi annexation of Austria in 1938, the Vienna operation was destroyed, and in 1939 two sons of Abraham (Adolf) Schlesinger — Akiva (Kari) and Zvi (István) — immigrated to Palestine and opened "Sinai Publishing" in Tel Aviv. The business first operated at 57 Nahalat Binyamin St., then moved to 72 Allenby St., where it remained for about seventy years, before relocating in the late 2000s to Rambam St. in the Nahalat Binyamin pedestrian mall. Sinai specializes in prayer books and mahzorim, notably the pocket-sized "Siddur HaShalem," and in artistic sacred-book bindings, including silver-plated covers with Bezalel-style repoussé work, leather covers with copper plaques, and wooden covers with Bezalel paintings. It publishes sacred texts translated into English, French, German, Spanish, Hungarian, and other languages. The store also offers mezuzot in wood, plastic, glass, and metal; tefillin; tallitot; hanukkiot; hamsas; and rare and antiquarian books. Mezuzot and tefillin sold by the store undergo two checks — a computer check for missing or extra letters and a certified human scribal check — and come with a certificate. Today the business is run by the sons of Zvi and Akiva Schlesinger. It remains a family-owned private enterprise, combining a retail Judaica shop in central Tel Aviv with an active publishing program.

The firm's history begins with the "Josef Schlesinger Book Trade and Publishing House," founded in Vienna in 1860 by Josef Ginz-Schlesinger (1790–1871), son of Rabbi Simha Bunem Ginz, brother of Rabbi Akiva Eiger. Josef married Pradil, daughter of Sarah-Sheril Kalischer, and after his marriage lived for six years with his stepfather-in-law the Hatam Sofer in Pressburg, where he published the Hatam Sofer's responsa and began his publishing career. In 1860 he moved to Vienna and opened the book trade and publishing house. The firm published prayer books, Bibles, mahzorim, Passover Haggadot, and Psalms, initially in Europe and later expanding overseas, exporting Sephardic-rite prayer books and mahzorim to Turkey, Greece, and North Africa. After Josef's death in 1871 the business passed to his son Akiva Ginz-Schlesinger (1843–1898), who was married to Rosa Strasser, granddaughter of the Ktav Sofer. After Akiva's death Rosa managed the business with her grown sons. In 1905 two of her sons, Josef (József) and Abraham (Adolf), opened a branch in Budapest, later joined by their brother Moses (Moritz). The business expanded across Central Europe. During World War I, prayer books and Passover Haggadot were printed for Jewish soldiers, including a prayer for the victory of Emperor Franz Joseph. After Austria's annexation to Nazi Germany in 1938, the Vienna operation came to an end. More than ten thousand kilograms of the firm's lead printing plates were sold by weight to a Viennese company, and the shop and its contents were sold by the Germans at auction. In response to the political changes and the war clouds over Europe, two sons of Abraham (Adolf) Schlesinger — Akiva (Kari) and Zvi (István) — decided to immigrate to Palestine and open a branch of the family business. In 1939 they arrived and opened "Sinai Publishing" in Tel Aviv. Initially the business operated at 57 Nahalat Binyamin St., and shortly afterward moved to 72 Allenby St., where it operated for about seventy years. Shortly after founding the Tel Aviv branch, Akiva Schlesinger traveled to Europe to import the necessary means for a book trade and publishing house; on his visit he managed to acquire at auction a substantial part of the confiscated merchandise of their Vienna business, and then returned to Palestine. The first years of Sinai Publishing in Tel Aviv coincided with World War II, and the business suffered many difficulties due to paper shortages, reduced customer traffic, and severed ties with foreign suppliers. The business printed colored postcards, biblical maps, and chessboards, and many of its customers were British and Australian soldiers serving in Palestine. The Budapest branch continued to operate during the war years; books printed in Budapest appeared under the new "Sinai Publishing" brand. On March 19, 1944, the day of the Nazi invasion of Hungary, the Budapest business was closed. Abraham (Adolf) and his wife, parents of Akiva and Zvi, were saved on Israel Kastner's rescue train and immigrated to Palestine in 1946. After the war the Budapest business reopened and continued for a time under a relative and a veteran employee from before the war. Akiva Schlesinger visited Budapest in 1947 and managed to rescue from the warehouses books, printing plates, and matrices that had not been damaged, bringing them to Palestine. After the war, Sinai Publishing's activity in Tel Aviv expanded. It specialized in publishing siddurim and mahzorim and issued the "Siddur HaShalem" in a pocket-book edition that became very popular. The house produced unique artistic bindings: a silver-plated cover with artistic repoussé work from Bezalel, a leather cover with a copper plaque in the center with artistic repoussé work from Bezalel, and wooden covers with Bezalel paintings. In this way it contributed greatly to the development of the art of sacred-book binding. It publishes many sacred books translated into English, French, German, Spanish, Hungarian, and other languages. Today Sinai Publishing is run by the sons of Zvi and Akiva Schlesinger. At the end of the first decade of the 21st century the store moved to Rambam St. in the Nahalat Binyamin pedestrian mall, near its previous location on Allenby St. The current store sells prayer books, Humashim, Bibles, Psalms, books on Kabbalah, segulot, marriage, and child education, Torah commentary, stories of the righteous, rare-book sourcing, prayers and blessings — thousands of books — as well as many and varied sacred objects: high-quality kosher mezuzot, tefillin, tallitot of all types, kippot, and more. It offers ready bar-mitzvah sets including tefillin, a tallit, tallit and tefillin bags, a siddur, and a kippah, with optional name embroidery on the bags. All mezuzot and tefillin undergo two checks — a computer check for missing and extra letters and substitutions, and a check by a certified person for letter forms — and a certificate is attached to each mezuzah and tefillin. The store also carries books in ornate bindings suitable for gifts, such as a Bible in an ornate binding, and stamps names on books. It offers sacred books translated into various languages, such as a Bible with English, French, Spanish, German, or Russian translation.

• 1947

  Akiva Schlesinger visits Budapest and rescues undamaged books, printing plates, and matrices from the warehouses.

• 1946

  Abraham (Adolf) Schlesinger and his wife, saved on Israel Kastner's rescue train, immigrate to Palestine.

• 1944

  On March 19, the day of the Nazi invasion of Hungary, the Budapest business closes.

• 1939

  Akiva (Kari) and Zvi (István) Schlesinger immigrate to Palestine and open Sinai Publishing in Tel Aviv.

• 1938

  After Austria's annexation to Nazi Germany, the Vienna operation ends; lead plates are sold by weight and the shop is auctioned.

• 1905

  Sons Josef and Abraham open a Budapest branch of the publishing house.

• 1871

  Josef Schlesinger dies; the business passes to his son Akiva Ginz-Schlesinger.

• 1860

  Josef Ginz-Schlesinger founds the Josef Schlesinger Book Trade and Publishing House in Vienna.

• After the war, Sinai Publishing issues the pocket-sized "Siddur HaShalem," which becomes very popular.

• The store moves from 57 Nahalat Binyamin St. to 72 Allenby St., where it operates for about seventy years.

• At the end of the first decade of the 21st century, the store moves to Rambam St. in the Nahalat Binyamin pedestrian mall.

Veteran, family-run Tel Aviv Judaica bookstore and publisher known for certified mezuzot and tefillin, artistic sacred-book bindings, and multilingual religious texts.

• Siddur HaShalem (pocket edition)

  A pocket-sized prayer book that became very popular.

• Artistic sacred-book bindings

  Silver-plated covers with Bezalel repoussé work, leather covers with copper plaques, and wooden covers with Bezalel paintings.

• Bar-mitzvah sets

  Sets including tefillin, tallit, tallit and tefillin bags, siddur, and kippah, with optional name embroidery.

• Certified mezuzot and tefillin

  Subject to a computer check and a certified human scribal check, with a certificate attached.

• Multilingual sacred texts

  Bibles and sacred books translated into English, French, German, Spanish, Hungarian, Russian, and other languages.

1. 1סיני ספרי קודש ותשמישי קדושה - ספרי יהדות, מזוזות, תפילין וטליתותsinai-books.com
2. 2Sinai Publishing Company - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3סיני (הוצאת ספרים) - Wikipediahe.wikipedia.org