Betsy Frank

During the seasons of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah, both of which celebrate religious freedom, this is a column I did not want to write. But write I must.

On October 27, worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue were gunned down during a Shabbat morning service. This act is but one symptom of hate in our society and even our own Wabash Valley community, where anti-Semitic flyers have appeared.

As Jews, we have grown a bit complacent about our freedoms, including the freedom to pray in our synagogues without fear.

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Isaiah, in Chapter 58, verses 1-14, cautions us that ritual without action is not enough.

We can attend our yearly services, but we need more. We must change and help others make their life journeys in our own Jewish and larger communities.

Jack Wertheimer, professor of American Jewish History at Jewish Theological Seminary, wrote in a recent Wall Street Journal column that many of us come once a year to renew connections with family and friends within the Jewish community.

We renew our personal connection to prayer during the holidays, Wertheimer said, engaging as a “community of seekers” who realize the importance of connecting our daily lives to a higher purpose.

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A line in a recent The Family Circus comic says, “I don’t know where time goes, either.”

Summer has flown by and the High Holy Days are already upon us. A highlight of the New Year is that we extend a very warm welcome to our new student rabbi, Jonathan Falco.

The High Holy Days represents a time of reflection for each one of us and for our congregation as well.

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