Emil St-Hilaire

Rob,I wish you a very Happy New Year....

I was delighted to meet you,once again at the G.G.S.

You are a real Gentleman,and ,I wish all the very Best,for you,and your family...
Sincerely.

-Emil.

P.S.: Do not work too hard;take time to enjoy life,the Family,and all the surrondings..
(and relax,when you can...)
You only live once... don't forget...

ralper

Thank you everyone for your good wishes and kind thoughts. Rosh Hashannah ended tonight at sundown. We are now in the period of atonement between Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur.

On Rosh Hashannah it is written,
On Yom Kippur it is sealed.

My prayer is that all of you and yours are inscribed in the book of life for the upcoming year.

Happy and healthy New Year. L'Shana Tova.

alexz

Took my children to the adult services this year, yes it was an eye opener for them, there was no kid services in the 60's and early 70's when I attended

ralper

No, there was only one service back then. Nobody had thought of having a separate service for the children.

My folks belonged to an orthodox temple and the women sat apart from the men. We really should have belonged to a reform temple, but the orthodox temple was the social center of the neighborhood. I would go early with my father (we walked, driving was out of the question on the high holy days) and we'd stay til the end. My mother and sisters would come a few hours later and we'd walk home together. This, of course, was Brooklyn in the 1960s and early 1970s.

The first Rosh Hashannah that I brought Liz to services was a very funny time to remember. She sat with my mother in the first row of the women's section. Needless to say, she was the only Chinese face in the orthodox temple. The rabbi's sermon was about the evils of interfaith and interracial marriages. Liz slouched low in her seat, she didn't know where to hide. She felt that everyone was looking at her. Little did she know that this was the typical rabbi's sermon for the first day of Rosh Hashannah. I'd heard it many times before and knew that this was the standard first day sermon, but she didn't. After the service we all had a very big laugh about it.

The interesting thing about it is that my parents and all of their friends absolutely adored Liz and thought that she was the best thing that every happened to me (they were right). When she mentioned the rabbi's sermon they all told her not to even think about it, he wasn't talking about her.

Today Liz and I belong to a reform temple. We sit together. We are only one of many interfaith and interracial couples. The reform movement is very welcoming. As it should be.

We have a new rabbi. Our former, much respected rabbi retired after 27 years and this new one is having a hard time filling his shoes. We also have a new cantor. She has a beautiful voice but some of her melodies are different than the ones I prefer. Still, she chanted Ain Kelohainu in the tradition melody, and it is one of the most beautiful prayers I've ever heard.

It was a nice holiday.

spt-s2k

Have a Happy & Healthy New Year!