Carleton College Invites Northfield Community to Observe the Jewish High Holy Days

Members of the Jewish community at are set to observe the Jewish High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur during the coming weeks.

Services will be led by Rabbi Shosh Dworsky, Carleton associate chaplain, along with the participation of students and community members. All services and observances are free and open to the public.

Rosh Hashanah services will be held in the Severance Great Hall at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 28, with dinner following at 8 p.m. Services will resume in the same location on the following day at 10 a.m., followed by a lunch. Tashlich, the ritual casting away of sins into the river, will take place later that afternoon.

Rosh Hashanah, one of the holiest days in the Jewish calendar, celebrates the Jewish New Year; this year’s Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the year 5772 of the Jewish calendar. The day is traditionally spent in services. Like the secular New Year, Rosh Hashanah is a time to consider one’s life and resolve to improve oneself. Apples dipped in honey, signifying the hope for a sweet new year, are traditionally eaten.

Yom Kippur observances begin with a pre-fast meal in the Great Hall at 5 p.m., on Friday, Oct. 7, followed by the Kol Nidre service at 6:30 p.m. Services continue at 10 a.m. and again at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 8, when the shofar – a traditional, trumpet-like instrument made from a ram’s horn – will be sounded. A dinner to break the fast will follow the final service.

Yom Kippur, also referred to as the Day of Atonement, is considered the holiest day of the year by Jews, for whom it represents the day on which to repent for all the sins of the past year. Yom Kippur is seen as a time to ask forgiveness of those hurt in the past year and to begin anew. One of the most important and somber holidays of the Jewish year, Yom Kippur is observed through attendance at services characterized by prayers of penitence. Healthy adults traditionally fast from sundown to sundown.

These events are sponsored by the Office of the Chaplain and the Jewish Students of Carleton (JSC). The Severance Great Hall, where all services will be held, is located on College Street on the Carleton campus. For further information or disability accommodations, call (507) 222-4003 or email jtruax@carleton.edu. It is requested that those wishing to attend the holiday meals RSVP at jtruax@carleton.edu.