The Rabbinical Assembly Publications Department mourns the death of our beloved colleague Jules Harlow, who passed away on February 12, 2024 / 3 Adar I 5784. Harlow was the Founding Editor of the Rabbinical Assembly and served as the Director of Publications from 1961 - 1994. His many contributions before, during, and after his tenure display decades of scholarship that shaped the liturgy of the Conservative / Masorti Movement. In honor of his passing and in gratitude for his groundbreaking and enduring work, we recognize his many significant contributions to our publications.
Jules Harlow was the preeminent liturgist of the Conservative / Masorti Movement. He received ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1959, and just two years later, began his tenure at the Rabbinical Assembly with the publication of the Hadas Weekday Prayer Book (1961). From 1962 - 1979, Harlow served as the Managing Editor and then Associate Editor of the journal “Conservative Judaism” (1945 - 2014). He was the editor of Likutei T’filah: A Rabbi’s Manual (1965) which served until 1998; the Mahzor for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (1972), more commonly known as “the Harlow Mahzor,” which featured elegant and inspiring English translations; and The Bond of Life: A Book for Mourners (1975), the shiva siddur still used today.
In 1985, the RA published the original Siddur Sim Shalom, edited by Harlow and featuring his innovative prayers and mellifluous translations. He is credited in each of the five subsequent additions to the Sim Shalom series, and Siddur Sim Shalom continues to be the siddur of preference for the youth of the Movement in USY, day schools, and summer camps.
Harlow retired from the RA in 1994, but continued to offer his renowned scholarship to our publications. He was the literary editor of the Etz Hayim humash series, seamlessly unifying the work of the many contributors into an incredible publication that remains the principal humash of the Movement. Also in retirement, he was an editor of Megillat Hashoah: The Holocaust Scroll (2004). His expertise in liturgy led to an invitation from Hadassah to develop a comprehensive curriculum on prayer which was published by Jewish Lights in 2003.
We are saddened to hear of his passing, grateful for his many years of work, and honored to carry on his literary legacy. Yehi Zikhro Barukh - may his memory be a blessing.