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 in the fall. It’s also a time to recognize and appreciate the town of Chappaqua, where everyone can worship as they please without great prejudice.
Ten days after Rosh Hashanah is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement and the most somber day on the Jewish calendar. Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe, the new senior Rabbi of Temple Beth El in Chappaqua, emphasizes that religious tolerance is something that’s 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 and
Rabbi Mark Sameth of Pleasantville Community Synagogue offers a broad perspective too regarding our community’s tolerant attitude about religion, stating, “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.” Ultimately, whatever the motivation for this spirit of acceptance, it’s another reason to feel fortunate and count our blessings this holiday season.
The Jewish “Reset Button”
The Jewish Holidays season is “like a reset button that gives us a new chance to access a renewed sense of hope and a way to deepen one’s gratitude,” states Rav Shoshana Mitrani-Knapp, who offers High Holiday services to Jews without shuls. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, marks a time of renewal and is considered a symbol of hope within the Jewish community.
With the blowing of the Shofar at the end of the holiday, Jewish people are calling the Messiah, hoping that he will arrive in the New Year.
Sukkot, which follows Yom Kippur and lasts seven days, is one of the most festive Jewish holidays. With large feasts and celebrations under the traditional ‘Sukkah,’ or shelter, built and decorated with poles, tree branches, and bamboo reeds, dried corn and gourds, Jewish people pray for a bountiful harvest.
Sukkot is followed by Simchat Torah, during which Jewish people rejoice in completing another year reading the Torah. Simchat Torah celebrations are like a huge, celebratory party, complete with singing, dancing and bountiful feasts. All in all, these holidays “provide the Jewish people with an opportunity to reconnect with one another and as a community with G-d,” notes Rabbi Jaffe.
While Jews in our area can celebrate the holidays in relative peace, nationwide anti-Semitism is still an all-to-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 while Chappaqua has not been immune to acts of anti-Semitism (an incident at Seven Bridges gave us all pause), it still remains largely safe for practicing Jews. As Rabbi Jason Nevarez of Bedford Temple Shaaray Tefilah tells us, “This area is a wonderful place to raise a Jewish family.”
Part of what makes this area such a great place to practice Judaism is the openness and respect that our community has for all religions. Many houses of worship team together for interfaith events and open their doors to the community as a whole. Temple Beth El takes part in numerous interfaith activities throughout the year, including an annual interfaith Thanksgiving dinner so popular throughout the community. This year, Rabbi Nevarez leads the Northern Westchester Interfaith Council.
Bearing Witness
Rabbi Aaron Brusso of Mt. Kisco’s Bet Torah Synagogue 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.
Overall, Americans are “benefitting from a marked increase in religious tolerance,” says Rabbi Sameth. He cites a 2013 study by Rice University that “showed a ‘substantial jump in the proportion of Americans who view all religions with equal respect.’” Plus, as Rabbi Nevarez and Rabbi Sameth point out, in our communities, Jews live in proximity to others with similar identities, and many non-Jews have ties to Judaism through friends, neighbors, and relatives. These factors contribute to making this a safe place for people to practice Judaism.
Religious tolerance is very much about looking inside too; that looking and “checking” are what reside at the heart of New Year services.
According to Rabbi Maura Linzer of Temple Beth El, from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur “the Jewish people are obligated to engage in the process of Chesbon Nefesh, which literally 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.”
Deborah Notis is a writer and a co-founder of gamechanger, LLC. She lives in Westchester with her husband and four sons.
*to be extraordinarily proud; to rejoice
