Note 126 — II. OUR DUTIES. (continued 3)

The additional prayers and piyyutim, being optional, varied according to the taste of each congregation and its leaders; in course of time these variations became permanent; the same was the case with minor changes, especially in the less essential elements of the Service, and thus the various Minhagim (Rites) of the various congregations came into existence. The principal Minhagim of importance for us are: the Polish, the Sephardic, the German, and the Italian Rites.126 In the following description of the Ritual only the two rites adopted in the principal Synagogues of the Anglo-Jewish congregations in England will be noted.