Jewish holiday of redemption begins tonight

Tonight, as the sun sets, the second holiest day in the Jewish faith, Rosh Hashana, will begin the new year of 5767. The holiday commemorates the creation of the world and the birth of Isaac, son of Abraham.

Rosh Hashana is a day of judgment when God looks at the actions of a person over the past year. Through the next 10 days, called the High Holy Days, Jews may redeem themselves in the eyes of God through prayer, repentance and charity. The 10 days, also called the Days of Awe, allow for introspection and for asking forgiveness of others.

The Days of Awe culminate in Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, which is regarded as the most important day for the Jewish faith.

Prayers recited for weekly services are expanded for the holy days; and each day, a trumpet-like shofar, made from a ram’s horn, is sounded to announce the call for repentance and the ultimate coming of the Day of Judgment.

Meals prepared during this time include honey-covered apples to symbolize the hope for a “sweet” new year. The year’s cycle is symbolized by round challah bread, and sometimes parts of an animal’s head are prepared for feasts to coincide with the meaning of Rosh Hashana, which translates to “Head of the Year.”

For the past eight years, congregations from Beth Shalom, the Jewish congregation in Columbia, and the Hillel Center, the Jewish student center at MU, have celebrated Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur in the First Baptist Church because neither Beth Shalom nor Hillel can accommodate the 200 or so people who attend services during the high holy days.

First Baptist is redecorated for the Jewish services by taking down or covering the symbols related to Christianity.

“It is a very simple, elegant sanctuary,” said Casey Goodman, the administrator for Beth Shalom. “As you sit there, you could very well be in a synagogue. We bring in our portable ark and other necessities.”

Some are uncomfortable celebrating the Jewish holy days in another religion’s faith home. Others find no conflict.

Adam Horwitz, president of Alpha Epsilon Pi, the Jewish fraternity at MU, said you can definitely tell you’re in a church, but there is no other option in the Columbia area; Beth Shalom is one of the only Jewish congregations with a rabbi between St. Louis and Kansas City. About half of the members in the fraternity go home to celebrate Rosh Hashana with their families, Horwitz said.

MU senior Becky Gans doesn’t mind the holiday celebrations being held at First Baptist.

“At first I was really confused on how it would work, but First Baptist Church is very accommodating,” Gans said. “You would never know that you are in a church.”

This will no longer be an issue once Beth Shalom’s synagogue, expected to hold about 250 people, is built. Work will begin on the synagogue’s education wing next spring.

The farmhouse where Beth Shalom congregants currently meet for services and where administrative offices are located will be renovated; but a barn on the property, now used for storage, will eventually be torn down. New parking lots will be paved and a playground will be added.

The new structure is likely to be about 19,800 square feet and cost about $1.5 million, according to Beth Shalom’s Web site. Beth Shalom’s Capital Campaign Committee has so far raised about one third of the money through donations from the congregation. Goodman said they are beginning to seek funds from larger arenas. Once the remaining funds are collected, construction will begin on the rest of the structure.

Gans, who is active at Hillel, said the new synagogue will help sustain and encourage the faith of Jews in Columbia.

“During the year it will be important,” she said. “People will be more willing to visit because the place now is very small.”