As the weather suddenly grows cooler and we return from our summer vacations to the regular routine of work and school, I am struck by how wise our ancestors were to set the start of the Jewish calendar in the fall. It is as if they had somehow anticipated the rhythms of our post-agricultural world, in which the start of a new cycle of activity begins with the return of crisp autumn nights, rather than the planting of the new crops of the spring, or the first lengthening of the short winter days in late December.

In the spirit of new beginnings that mark this season, Croton Jewish Center will be shaking off the sleepiness of the summer and resume a full schedule of activities throughout the High Holiday season. I look forward to seeing all of you in the weeks to come as we start a new cycle of Jewish observance, tradition and celebration. I know that our little “shul” will be infused with warmth, fellowship and spirituality as we come together as a community to pray, to learn, to love and to forgive.

High Holiday programming at CJC will begin with Selichot on Saturday, September 12 at 8:15 PM. The Selichot service begins the week of penitential prayers leading up to Rosh Hashanah. We will begin the evening with the Havdalah service, followed by a screening of the movie “Groundhog Day”. In the film, the selfish and callous character played by Bill Murray finds himself reliving the same horrendous day over and over again, until he learns to act with kindness and love and wins the heart of the beautiful Andie McDowell. In much the same way, we will repeat the same prayers over and over throughout the next few weeks, confessing our sins and asking both God and man (and woman) for forgiveness until we get it right.

Services for Erev Rosh Hashanah are on Friday, September 18 at 6:45 PM, and Rosh Hashanah morning services begin at 9:30 AM on Saturday the 19th. You will get a separate e-mail with the complete holiday service schedule, but I can’t resist pointing out that all of the holidays except Yom Kippur fall on the weekend this year, so we can have a full house for all services without anyone having to miss work or school. Also, with the first day of each holiday coinciding with Shabbat, it’s like God is having a two-for-one sale this year.

In closing, let me be the first to wish you L’shana tova – a sweet and happy new year!

Aaron Gershowitz
President
Croton Jewish Center