The Jewish New Year

By Ilyse H. Greene, Beth El - The Beaches Synagogue Is defi ned as the birthday of humanity and a celebration of life. Yom Kippur - The Day of Atonement - The High Holy Days of the Jewish New Year. For me personally, the High Holy Days always seem to come at a perfect time each year - typically around nine months after the start of the new year on the Gregorian calendar, they fall at a time when I need to be reminded to take a deep breath, slow down, forgive and perhaps, most importantly, remember who I am and where I am from.

The High Holy Days always tend to take me back to the traditions that my grandparents and parents instilled in me as a child. Being born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland it seemed that I was always surrounded by “my people”. There was rarely a day that I didn’t see a Jewish person, whether I knew them or not. Now, having lived in the Jacksonville area for nearly 18 years (almost 50 percent of my life), I realized rather quickly that experience was not typical in other parts of our country. But what I also realized was that being raised around “my people” shaped me into the person that I am today. Truth be told, I miss that feeling from time to time. Most Jewish people will tell you there is truly a unique relationship among Jews whether you know them or not.

Interestingly enough, the adjustment of going from being part of the majority to being part of the minority has allowed me to see a completely diff erent side of myself. A side that has made me vulnerable, a side that has humbled me, not just as a Jew, but as a human being. I love explaining what the High Holy Days mean to my non-Jewish family and friends. I love inviting them over for holiday dinners and celebrations, and now more than ever, the desire to continue those traditions that my family created for me. To pass those traditions down to my children is of utmost importance. Being married to a Christian and raising a blended family only enhance these feelings. The undeniable support that my husband and my two “bonus children” provide to me and my biological daughter go beyond the call of duty. It is the High Holy Days in particular when their support and compassion for my faith and traditions become the most evident. I realize that regardless of where I live, how many Jewish people I may or may not see at the grocery store, or whether my family and friends are Jewish or Christian, the feeling that I have when I wake up the morning of Rosh Hashanah is the same. The feeling of atonement when I fast on Yom Kippur is the same. The smells of Beth El - The Beaches Synagogue are no diff erent than the smells of Beth Israel Synagogue in Baltimore. The prayers, the songs, the blowing of the shofar; the feeling of renewal and strength to start over, to forgive myself and others — all the same.

As we approach the High Holy Days this year and continue to navigate through this complicated, ever changing life that we have been blessed to have, regardless of where we may live, one thing shall remain the same —the feelings that we have during the

High Holy Days and the love that we have for our people.

L’Shanah Tovah!