In June, a small but loud group of neo-Nazis brandishing swastikas and other hate symbols picketed Chabad of Cobb County in Marietta, Ga. The antisemitic incident was universally condemned, but the Chabad community’s reaction went deeper, with an emphasis on increasing synagogue attendance and commitments to positive action.
Although the incident remains fresh in people’s minds, said Rabbi Ephraim Silverman—who directs Chabad of Cobb County with his wife, Chani—the focus heading into Rosh Hashanah is not on the darkness of the past but on continuing to illuminate the present and the future with public expressions of Jewish unity.
Rosh Hashanah, which begins at sundown on Friday night, Sept. 15, and lasts through the evening of Sunday, Sept. 17, does not commemorate the creation of the world on the first day of creation but rather the creation of Man on the sixth day, notes the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory. As such, people have the ability to transform and elevate the world and reframe the struggles, challenges and negative experiences in their lives.
It’s a message that will be shared as a record number of Jews attend Rosh Hashanah services and public events at thousands of Chabad synagogues and centers around the world. With the rising specter of antisemitism, unprecedented political discord in Israel, and ongoing conflict in Ukraine and other places in the world, Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries—in places near and far, in houses of worship large and small, and in public spaces as well—will welcome Jewish families and individuals of all backgrounds who are looking for spiritual sustenance offered at Chabad services and events for the Jewish New Year.
Expressing the Positive
Liz Helgesen of Marietta, Ga., and other Jewish residents of Cobb County will be expressing that positivity when they share the holiday with Jewish seniors at six different nursing homes within a three-mile radius of Chabad who can’t make it to synagogue. They will be blowing shofar, singing songs and eating apples dipped in honey. Hegelsen’s been coordinating this effort for the last decade now.
“There’s such a strong feeling of connection—to be doing such a beautiful mitzvah with my peers in the community and to connect with the seniors and be inspired,” she tells Chabad.org. “Because of the recent antisemitic event in front of our synagogue, more community members than ever before will gather and proudly walk the streets of Marietta to visit Jews in nursing homes and blow the shofar for them with strengthened Jewish unity and pride.”
Another example of positive transformation that will take place this Rosh Hashanah as Chabad of Pensacola, Fla., is getting ready for its biggest turnout to date. Rabbi Mendel and Nechama Danow moved to the westernmost city in the state in September 2018 and welcomed a few dozen worshippers for the High Holidays. This year, they are expecting 150 people, in part because of antisemitic incidents the community faced this summer and Chabad’s positive response to them.
In July, a window at the Chabad center was shattered by a red brick with a swastika drawn on it. The same night, someone painted a swastika on a local veterinary practice; a few days later, another swastika was found in a local park. The community responded by designating the brick thrown through Chabad’s window as the cornerstone of a new building. That Friday night, they invited the entire community to join them in welcoming in Shabbat with Shabbat candles.
“There are a lot of people who are coming for the first time this year,” said Danow. “There is an awakening among people who want to show their dedication to Judaism not only during difficult times but also, and primarily, by celebrating together on happy occasions.”
The Danows are planning what they describe as a “very big” Rosh Hashanah celebration, with a Friday-night community dinner featuring brisket and other traditional holiday cuisine. Services will be held on the first day, Shabbat morning, as well as on Sunday, when they will blow the shofar (something that does not take place when the first day of the holiday lands on Shabbat).
“The second day, there’s going to be an extra-large community celebration for Rosh Hashanah following the regular service,” he said, adding that afterward they’ll head to a park and perform a song-filled Tashlich—the Rosh Hashanah ceremony for casting away sins—which likewise takes place on the second day of the holiday due to Shabbat.
They’ll have security at their events, the rabbi said, although he doesn’t expect any disturbances. He noted that people are more at ease since those responsible for the antisemitic incidents were caught, and especially as a result of the love, encouragement and support they received from the broader Pensacola community in the wake of the incident.
“There has been an outpouring of goodness and kindness,” said Danow, “and we hope and pray that it will continue that way.”
His Rosh Hashanah message this year is going to be one of lifting up, uniting and aiming for stronger connections, where differences can fade. “When we are united, that is when we are strengthened,” he said. “Ultimately, we should uplift one another, and the entire community should be uplifted. Then it’s a place where negativity doesn’t have a place, it doesn’t have any power.”
It’s also the end of the year of Hakhel, a year of unity and gathering that comes once every seven. “As we complete this year and go into the next, this idea of Hakhel still continues, the idea of gathering and uniting together,” said Danow.
The theme of unity will be especially timely In Israel, which continues to experience widespread political turbulence. Chabad synagogues from Metula to Eilat will be welcoming men and women from across the political and religious spectrum who will pray as one.
Online and In-Person Preparations
As with most things in life these days, preparations for the holidays are taking place online, and Chabad.org, the most content-rich Jewish website, is already seeing record-breaking traffic to its High Holiday site. The site offers an extensive High Holiday selection of inspirational articles, guides, videos, songs, prayers and recipes.
The world’s most comprehensive High Holiday service directory can be found at Chabad.org/HighHolidayServices. The directory, which features events in cities and towns in every part of the world, is continually being updated with new listings.
On the day before Rosh Hashanah, it is customary to visit the graves of tzaddikim (righteous, saintly people) and to pray for a sweet new year. The Jewish people ask the tzaddikim to intercede On High on their behalf, and pray to G‑d for mercy in the merit of these righteous people.
Today, many gather at the Ohel, the resting place of the Rebbe in Queens, N.Y. Those who can’t make it there on this auspicious day can email a note via Chabad.org with blessing requests that will be placed at the Rebbe’s resting place before Rosh Hashanah.
Free Services and Public Shofar
As always, Chabad is providing people who otherwise would not attend services with the opportunity to welcome the New Year. High Holiday services at Chabad are offered free of charge and open to residents and visitors alike. At the same time, Chabad continues to offer new opportunities for people who might not be attending traditional synagogue prayers to engage with the High Holidays through programs like Shofar in the Park; special programs hosted by Chabad Young Professionals; and other events aimed at bringing an increased sense of collective joy and pride in being Jewish.
Blowing shofar in parks—or on street corners, in hospitals, prisons, elder-care facilities, military bases or nearly anywhere else you can think of—is nothing new for anyone influenced by the Rebbe, who launched his Shofar Campaign 70 years ago this week, just prior to Rosh Hashanah of 1953 (5714). At the time, there was almost no concept of bringing Judaism to the streets or wherever else Jews found themselves. Indeed, it appears the Shofar Campaign was a pilot program of sorts, a forerunner of the many mitzvah campaigns that would follow in the years to come.
In Ukraine, Synagogue Doors Wide Open
In Ukraine, all synagogue doors will be wide open. Rabbi Avraham Wolff, director of Chabad of Odessa, notes that their goal this year, and every year, is that all members of the Odessa Jewish community celebrate the holiday traditions, ceremonies and spirit. “During these challenging times, the support of the community means even more to the people, and the rituals and customs bind us ever closer together,” said Wolff.
Like Chabad emissaries across Ukraine, Rabbi Moshe and Miriam Moskovitz, who have been leading Chabad of Kharkov for 33 years, have been distributing humanitarian aid and helping people with all kinds of needs. They are continuing to provide food, medicine and clothing for those in need, with the support of Jewish Relief Network Ukraine (JRNU), even as they prepare to serve communal meals to some 500 people on Rosh Hashanah.
Moreover, the war has even led to a “transformation of the Jewish soul” in Ukraine, said Rabbi Moskovitz. “The cry of the shofar is like the cry of the child who is far away and comes back home,” Moskovitz said. “The Jews in Ukraine are “very, very thirsty for their Judaism. They are coming back to their roots. More people are coming to the synagogue to pray. More people are coming to Torah classes; more people are coming to any activity—literally any program we run is filled to the brim.”
To find Rosh Hashanah services, shofar-blowings and more in a city near you, visit the High Holiday Services Directory here.
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