The Jewish High Holy Days begin Friday with Rosh Hashana, a time to celebrate the 5,764th “birthday of the Earth.”
Between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, are the “Ten Days of Repentance,” a time of introspection, said Rabbi Sylvan D. Kamens of Temple B'nai Israel.
A ram's horn, or shofar, is sounded every day to serve as a “wake-up call.”
On Yom Kippur, the most sacred day of the Jewish year, Jews observe a 24-hour fast, “denying ourselves food and water so we can concentrate on the spirit,” the rabbi said.
While special prayers for peace are offered during the holy days, the horrific violence in Israel and the Middle East is casting a shadow over this year's observances.
“We feel a lot of pain for people killed in needless bombings. It's a very disturbing time,” said Rabbi Kamens, who has visited Israel many times.
He said he also is concerned about “a rising undertone of anti-Semitism” that he sees in the world, with Jews being used as scapegoats for other peoples' problems or biases.
Rabbi Kamens, 67, a native of Philadelphia, earned a bachelor's of Hebrew Letters from Gratz Hebrew College in Philadelphia and a master's of Hebrew Letters from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, where he was ordained in 1961.
He also earned a degree in philosophy from Temple University and received an honorary doctorate from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1976.
“I spent the bulk of my 40 years in the pulpit in Minnesota, New Jersey, and Ohio,” Rabbi Kamens said in an interview at the West Toledo synagogue.
He and his wife, Rhoda, who have been married 44 years, have three children and seven grandchildren.
The rabbi, who has a home in Cape Cod, Mass., retired five years ago but accepted the position at Temple B'nai Israel in June, 2002, on an interim basis.
Rabbi Kamens said the synagogue is continuing its search for a permanent rabbi, a position that has been vacant since Rabbi Michael Ungar left for Columbus over two years ago.
“I hope they find a permanent rabbi, which I have encouraged and advised the whole time I've been here,” Rabbi Kamens said. “The congregation has some important decisions to make.”
- DAVID YONKE
First Published September 20, 2003, 12:08 p.m.
