שנה טובה: Happy New Year!

I was a little hesitant about observing the High Holidays alone this year but have been reminded that, as Safam would say, “wherever you go, there’s always someone Jewish!”

I didn’t even think of getting tickets until September! Yes, there are tickets for High Holidays. It may seem like a strange notion that you need to purchase a ticket to pray but it’s true. Just like there are Catholics who only go to Church for Christmas, there are Jews who only go to Temple for the High Holidays. So many that it makes the most sense to have tickets. This not only generates an income for the congregation but must allow the congregation to prepare for the number of people about to flood their sanctuary. Many Temples even have ways to open up and expand their sanctuaries to allow room for more people. I wasn’t even sure if I’d be able to attend services this year but took it as a sign when Kehilat Gesher not only welcomed me (two weeks after the application deadline) but also gave me a just-graduated-from-college-and-on-a-tight-budget discount.

I was told ahead of time to bring my passport for identification. What I wasn’t forewarned about was that there would be rather hefty security. Now that I’ve attended guarded and unguarded services I have to admit that I’m definitely more at ease when there is no need for security to consist of multiple people standing guard with weapons. I can’t fathom that becoming a norm.

Not only is there always someone Jewish but we all have the same prayers. I was comforted to recognize the same tunes I’ve sung since a kid. With a piano and a small choir the service was both intimate and beautiful, something I thought Charlie would have really appreciated.

In his D’var (sermon) the Rabbi urged the congregation to not only take the next ten days to repent (before Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement) but to think about the person we are right now, about how we are living our lives and to be honest with ourselves about what we have fallen short on. On my way home I couldn’t help but think about these things. Here I am celebrating the High Holidays because I made the conscious decision to, when to be honest it would have been easier to call it day by eating an apple with honey. Here I am exploring another culture and trying to learn another language all while learning new things about myself. What a perfect way to ring in the New Year. I may not be in an academic setting but I am, once again, a student. I am learning about myself and about how I want to live my life. This year will certainly be full of new beginnings.

When I came home there was a beautiful basket filled with fruit, candy and wine from Daphne. I’ve not only had plenty of sweet fruit but, as always, had apples and honey. I hope you have a happy, healthy year 5770. L’shana Tova, may you all be written in the Book of Life.