Jews with Views – Rosh Hashanah-Yom Kippur 5785
We asked three accomplished Jews from around the world: What is your most formative Rosh Hashanah memory?
BY ARIEL CHESNER
A memory that comes to mind takes me almost 20 years back, back to the days of my army service in the Giv’ati brigade. We were in advanced training, waiting for news on whether we would be going home for Rosh Hashanah.
Much to our dismay, our commander stepped out of the officers tent, and informed us that we all would be spending Rosh Hashanah on base. Wiping away our tears (internal tears of course), we started to plan how our Rosh Hashanah would look.
A good friend and I were asked to be chazanim for the tefillot. What started off as a big disappointment, soon grew into an unexpected, uplifting and most memorable Rosh Hashanah. We prayed together: observant and non-observant soldiers, united as one לִפְנֵי אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם. Since then, I often daven before the amud on Rosh Hashanah, and I find myself thinking about the special tefillot we had on that memorable Rosh Hashanah on base.
Ariel Chesner is the Director of the Center for Religious Affairs in the Diaspora of the World Zionist Organization.
BY SHIRA LANKIN SHEPS
When I was a little girl, my Abba, Rabbi Dr. Eric Lankin, was a congregational rabbi. Every Rosh Hashanah, he would take me on a very important mission – to visit all his congregants who were too ill or elderly to make it to shul to hear the shofar blasts.
We would walk hand in hand, my little feet keeping up with his long strides, his shofar tucked under his other arm, to what felt like the furthest corners of our community to do the mitzvah of bikur cholim. While he would blow the shofar over and over again, I would watch the faces of people we had come to visit; sometimes expressions of gratitude, tears streaming down their cheeks, or just eyes closed tight reflecting on what the sound meant to them in their time of need. It was a gift for me to see a side of the holiday that people don’t usually see, giving me context into how we can be more inclusive in our communities around the chagim.
Shira Lankin Sheps, MSW, is the executive director of The SHVILLI Center, the publisher of The Layers Press, and co-editor of the new anthology “Az Nashir – We Will Sing Again; Women’s Prayers for our Time of Need.”
BY RABBI ARIEL KONSTANTYN
One of my most cherished memories from Rosh Hashanah is the first time we organized tashlich on the beach. Fifteen years ago, when my wife and I founded The Tel Aviv International Synagogue (affectionately known as The Frishman Shul), there was little Jewish life in Tel Aviv. The synagogues were mostly empty, kosher food was scarce, and we faced considerable anti-religious sentiment in the neighborhood. Yet, we held steadfast in our belief that every Jewish soul carries a spark, and we built a thriving community based on love, acceptance, and mutual respect.
With our synagogue just a block from Frishman Beach, we decided to bring tashlich down to the sea (most stay on the tayelet). I was initially concerned about the reaction of beachgoers as hundreds of observant Jews made their way to the shore. To my surprise, they warmly embraced the moment – men covered their heads with towels, women in swimsuits asked for prayer sheets, and everyone joined in tossing their bread “sins” into the sea.As the sun set over the Mediterranean, I blew the shofar, and together we sang Am Yisrael Chai, Avinu Malkeinu, and other holiday songs. That unity and shared joy fills my heart each year with hope for a future blessed with life, peace, and prosperity.
Rabbi Ariel Konstantyn is the Founding Rabbi of The Tel Aviv International Synagogue (TAIS) and Founding Chairman of ME-Tzion – The Institute of Zionism and Jewish Heritage. In addition, Rabbi Ariel serves as a commentator for ILTV and i24 News. He is an active member of Beit Hillel and World Mizrachi.