Celebrating the Jewish New Year and Religious Tolerance
By Deborah Notis
For many, fall is a time of renewal. This is certainly true for Jewish people, as they welcome the New Year, celebrate the harvest, and begin a new cycle of reading the sacred Torah every fall. It’s also a time to recognize and appreciate Armonk, where everyone has the freedom to worship as they please without prejudice.
Overall, Americans are “benefitting from a marked increase in religious tolerance,” says Rabbi Mark Sameth of Pleasantville Community Synagogue. Rabbi Sameth cites a 2013 study at Rice University which “showed a ‘substantial jump in the proportion of Americans who view all religions with equal respect.’”
According to Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe, the new senior Rabbi at Chappaqua’s Temple Beth El, religous tolerance is something inherent in Judaism. “The Torah does not begin with the story of the Jewish people but rather with all humanity.” Judaism, at its roots, teaches religious tolerance.
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, marks a time of renewal and hope within the Jewish community. With the blowing of the Shofar at the end of the holiday, Jewish people pray that the Messiah will arrive in the New Year. Ten days after Rosh Hashanah is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and the most somber day on the Jewish calendar.
Sukkot, which follows Yom Kippur and lasts seven days, is one of the most festive Jewish holidays. With large celebrations under the traditional ‘Sukkah’, or shelter, built and decorated with poles, tree branches, and hanging fruit, Jewish people pray for a bountiful harvest. According to Rabbi Jason Nevarez of Bedford’s Temple Shaaray Tefila, “Sukkot is a joyous occasion. Shaaray hosts a big barbeque with special music and an outdoor service under the Sukkah. It’s a lot of fun.”
Sukkot is followed by Simchat Torah, during which Jews rejoice in completing another cycle of Torah reading. Simchat Torah celebrations are like a huge party, complete with singing, dancing and bountiful feasts.
Rabbi Aaron Brusso of Mt. Kisco’s Bet Torah Synagogue notes, “We do seven circlings on Simchat Torah. The final circling takes place in the temple’s parking lot, and anyone passing by can feel the joy.”
Bearing Witness
To promote religious tolerance, Rabbi Brusso teams up with Catholic leaders every summer to participate in the Anti-Defamation League’s Bearing Witness program. According to Rabbi Brusso, this program has helped him to develop an even deeper “respect for and understanding of Catholicism.” Ultimately, an increasing familiarity with different religions enables people to achieve a greater level of respect for diverse religious and spiritual beliefs.
While Jews in our area can celebrate the holidays in relative peace, nationwide anti-Semitism is still an all-too-frequent occurrence. The Anti-Defamation League noted that incidents of violent anti-Semitic assaults increased in 2013. In April 2014, before the Jewish holiday of Passover, a 73-year-old white supremacist with a long resume of anti-Semitic acts opened fire outside Jewish centers around Kansas City. Closer to home, Greenburgh Fire Chief Anthony LoGiudice was accused of making anti-Semitic slurs about the town supervisor, Paul J. Feiner. And our neighboring town of Chappaqua has not been immune to acts of anti-Semitism, with a recent incident at Seven Bridges Middle School. Despite these issues, Rabbi Nevarez feels that “this area is a wonderful place to raise a Jewish family.”
Rav Shoshana Mitrani-Knapp, who offers High Holiday services to Jews without shuls, notes that the Jewish holidays also “remind us that we are not on this journey alone.”
Part of what makes this area a great place to practice Judaism is our community’s respect for all religions. When North Castle was formed in the 1700s, it was considered a haven for religious tolerance. These days, the Byram Hills School district honors that history by hosting an annual “Diversity Day.”
Crittenden Middle Schools’s sixth graders meet with the different faces of the religious leaders throughout our community, including Pastors, Priests, Imams and Rabbis.
They discuss issues that might have come up within the Armonk community, and they teach children about the traditions that are important to each religious group.
Interfaith Activities Abound
Additionally, Armonk’s Congregation B’nai Yisrael and many other houses of worship team together for interfaith activities like special Thanksgiving dinners. As Congregation B’nai Yisrael’s Cantor Hayley Kobilinsky states, these events “give our community members an opportunity to respect and celebrate our differences.”
Ultimately, the Jewish Holidays season “provides the Jewish people with an opportunity to reconnect with one another and as a community with G-d,” states Rabbi Jaffe of Temple Beth El.
According to Rabbi Maura Linzer, also of Temple Beth El, from the start of Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur “the Jewish people are obligated to engage in the process of Chesbon Nefesh, which translates as a checking of the soul or self. We look back upon our thoughts and deeds, asking where we missed the mark of being our best self.”
Rabbi Sameth offered this perspective too on our community’s tolerance towards all religions. “Maybe it has to do with that fact that people…wherever they are in terms of religion, they still have spiritual longings, a need for community, a sense of purpose.” Whatever the motivation for this spirit of acceptance, it’s another reason to feel fortunate this holiday season.
Deborah Notis is a writer and a co-founder of gamechanger, LLC. She lives in Westchester with her husband and four sons.
