There are so many creative holiday options and useful resources out there to make this most unusual Rosh Hashanah meaningful.

Last year, I wrote about Bowl Hashanah in a Jerusalem Post article.  Thanks to the generosity of Brooklyn Bowl owner and mensch extraordinaire, Peter Shapiro, a creative musical Rosh Hashanah takes place in this musical venue every year.   This year, they will expand, hosting 4 free online services from the Brooklyn Bowl.

Four events—on the first night and first day of Rosh Hashanah (Sept 18 at 7:30 pm ET and Sept 19 at 10 am ET), Kol Nidre (Sept 27 at 7 pm ET)) and Yom Kippur Day (Sept 28 at 10 am ET) will be led by Rabbi Daniel Brenner and musical director and Antibalas co-founder, Jordan McClean.  Jeremiah Lockwood, who was a member of Balkan Beat Box and Piedmont Blues musician Carolina Slim's Fraternal Order and has collaborated extensively with Antibalas, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Brian Chase and many others, will serve as musical and spiritual supervisor remotely.   Info on the free livestream on Fans.com is available here:

Synagogues are doing all kinds of creative things to bring Rosh Hashanah to the people. Most (especially Reform and Conservative) are offering Zoom only services, while some are offering shortened or blended options including morning services outdoors, or morning services on Zoom with afternoon/evening/tashlich and shofar outside.

Last week, I explored some creative options for Orthodox synagogues, which are not able to use technology on Shabbat and holidays

Earlier this week, I wrote about shuls from all denominations getting together in New York City for “Shofar in the Streets.   A wonderful model.

Just today, I came across resources which will surely be useful for families wishing to make Rosh Hashanah meaningful for their children.  One is from PJ library with their “High Holidays at Home Guide for Families”—a free download.

My Jewish Learning is offering a similar sounding resource:  “How To Celebrate the High Holidays at Home.”

They are also offering “Nine Things You Didn’t Know About Rosh Hashanah.”

Finally for today, I just discovered a very nice, recently released resource which is useful for families of children with disabilities, and for all children!  It is a social story from jkidaccess in Philadelphia! 

More to come….

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Original Post Published On The Jerusalem Post

After two straight US Open quarterfinals, Jewish-Argentine knocked out early • Djokovic cruises • Gauff ousted

Cameron Norrie of Great Britain battled back from two sets down and two match points to stun the US Open’s Argentine No. 9 seed, Diego Schwartzman 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 7-5 in a four-hour first-round match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York on Monday night.
Schwartzman, the No. 13 in the world, experienced cramps on several occasions and took a fall up 3-2 in the fifth set that required treatment on his left hand by the trainer. The gregarious, proudly Jewish 28-year-old is a three-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist. He reached the US Open quarterfinals in both 2017 and 2019, but couldn’t pull out the match against Norrie.

“I had a very bad day,” said Schwartzman after the match. “I was far from playing at the level that I showed many times here at the US Open. I took advantage of the early chances, but I was giving a lot physically and I started to get tired and cramped up a couple of times. In a normal year, when I am playing a lot, I do well, but it is much harder going a long time without competing. It was a very bad tournament for me and all I can do is try to improve for what is coming.”No. 76 Norrie spoke to the British media after the match.“I just had a phenomenal attitude and stayed patient with myself,” said Norrie. “I think my attitude won it for me today and my legs got me through it.”  Norrie had eleven aces to one for Schwarzman. The match broke a US Open record with 58 break points.Norrie advances to play Argentinian Federico Coria in the second round.  Players in the main draw earn $61,000 for appearing in the first round.  Male and female tournament winners earn $3 million.  Norrie has yet to win any titles.  He is 4-10 in Grand Slam matches and has reached the second round four times.

Schwartzman made news during last week’s ATP 2020 Western & Southern Open Masters 1000, which was also played on the grounds of the US Open.  He was upset when Argentine tennis players Guido Pella and Hugo Dellien were quarantined after their fitness trainer tested positive for COVID-19.

“They lied to our faces,” Schwarzman said angrily, “They said that there would be no retaliation for anyone who tested positive.”Relatedly, a number of competitors at the US Open expressed their frustration on Monday after they were moved into a so-called “bubble within a bubble” as they had been in contact with Frenchman Benoit Paire, who tested positive for coronavirus.

Tournament organizers quietly removed Paire from the draw on Sunday, with the Frenchman later confirming on social media that he had tested positive.French players Adrian Mannarino, Kristina Mladenovic and Edouard Roger-Vasselin were subsequently placed under an “enhanced protocol plan” for “players who might have been potentially exposed” to the virus, allowing them to continue competing in the tournament instead of withdrawing.

In other first-round action, Novak Djokovic needed less than two hours to continue his unbeaten season.The top-seeded Serbian routed Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 in 1 hour, 58 minutes.The win was Djokovic’s 24th in as many matches this year. He won the Australian Open and three tournaments this year, including the Western & Southern Open in New York last week.

Djokovic saved six of the seven break points he faced against Dzumhur while converting six of his 18 break opportunities.A heavy favorite for the title with Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Switzerland’s Roger Federer absent, Djokovic will next face Kyle Edmund. The British player got past Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik 2-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-0.In other matches, fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece demolished Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 in 98 minutes.

Maxime Cressy will get the next shot at Tsitsipas, as the American wild-card entrant produced his first victory in a Grand Slam event.Cressy, a 23-year-old UCLA product, beat Slovakia’s Jozef Kovalik 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.Fifth-seeded Alexander Zverev needed four sets to get past South Africa’s Kevin Anderson 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-3, 7-5.Seventh-seeded David Goffin of Belgium eliminated the United States’ Reilly Opelka 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.Other seeded winners Monday included Israel-born No. 12 Denis Shapovalov of Canada, No. 19 Taylor Fritz of the United States, No. 20 Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain, No. 24 Hubert Hurkacz of Poland, No. 26 Filip Krajinovic of Serbia, No. 27 Borna Coric of Croatia and No. 32 Adrian Mannarino of France.

In an all-United States matchup, Steve Johnson outlasted 16th-seeded John Isner 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (3). Isner fell despite an ace edge of 52-22.On the women’s side, Coco Gauff failed to make it past the first round as 31st-seeded Anastasija Sevastova defeated the 16-year-old sensation 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.

Gauff had a memorable run 12 months ago at age 15 when she recorded two wins at the US Open before losing to top-seeded Naomi Osaka in the third round.But the magic wasn’t there against the 30-year-old Sevastova, who was a US Open semifinalist in 2018 and reached the quarterfinals in both 2016 and 2017.Gauff committed 13 double faults and 41 unforced errors against 27 winners in the match at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

“I could’ve played better today, but I’m just going to get back to work and get ready for the French Open,” Gauff said of the event that begins Sepember. 21.Also, top-seeded Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic routed Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine 6-4, 6-0.Fourth-seeded Naomi Osaka, two days after withdrawing from the Western & Southern Open final due to a hamstring injury, emerged with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 win over another Japanese player, Misaki Doi.

Sixth-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova also was sharp with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu.American Alison Riske, seeded 13th, got past Germany’s Tatjana Maria 6-3, 6-2, No. 17 Angelique Kerber of Germany notched a 6-4, 6-4 win over Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic and No. 30 Kristina Mladenovic of France recorded a 7-5, 6-2 win over Hailey Baptiste.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Imagine “Dancin in the Street” but with Shofars!

The catchy, upbeat song, first sung by Martha and the Vandellas in 1964, has been performed by the Grateful Dead (some versions are 16 minutes long!), the Mamas and the Papas, Van Halen—even David Bowie and Mick Jagger!   The song brings people together, and they can’t help but dance!

The Upper East Side of Manhattan will come together on the 2nd day of Rosh Hashanah (4 pm on Sunday Sept 20) for “Shofar in the Streets.”  As the flyer says, “Hear the shofar on the second day of Rosh HaShanah from your windows and balconies, or, meet us on the streets! WEAR YOUR MASKS AND MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCE as shofars are sounded by East Side Jewish synagogues.” For safety reasons, it is probably best not to dance this year!

There are many reasons for blowing the shofar, nicely spelled out in the My Jewish Learning article, “10 Things the Shofar Symbolizes.”  Many of us are familiar with the shofar “waking us up” at this time of year, reminding us it is Judgement Day, and recalling both the Revelation at Sinai, and the Binding of Isaac.  Perhaps a lesser known reason is that the shofar foreshadows the coming of the Messiah.

When 15 shuls from all the various movements get together to enable whole Jewish world to experience and fulfill the mitzvah of hearing the shofar—especially in a year when so many will venture in to a synagogue, then the coming of the Messiah is surely a bit closer!

Nice job, Upper East Side!  May you be an inspiration for Jewish communities around the world!

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Every year in the weeks leading up to Rosh Hashanah, I challenge my students to think of things we do to prepare for the holiday.  The list starts with “we buy apples and honey,” and progresses to round challah and pomegranates.  We then discuss spiritual preparations which include looking back on the whole year and identifying areas in need of improvement and people we need to approach to seek forgiveness.  Only then do we think of more playful things like putting aside some bread to throw in to a river for tashlich, or assembling reading material for synagogue to get us through the hours and hours spent sitting.   

This year is different.  Rosh Hashanah services will not be the same as usual this year.  For some, it will mean watching a service over Zoom.  For others, it will mean attending a much shorter, socially distanced service.  For many, Rosh Hashanah will be spent at home.  Many synagogues have provided links for ordering mahzors, the special prayer books we use on the holiday—while all shuls have them, safety concerns mean they are not lending them out.   The assumption is that many will be praying alone at home, or tuning in over Zoom.  However, I have heard very few people addressing the most important mitzvah of the holiday—hearing the shofar.  Enter Chabad!

As we all know, Chabad and Chabad shluchim are everywhere in the world—from Anchorage to Bangkok to Brisbane.  Jews know they can just show up at a Chabad House and their needs for a Shabbat meal, a Passover Seder, a listening ear and so much more will be there. But what about shofar blowing?   What will Chabad rabbis do to meet the needs of those unable to go to shul?  I assume Chabad rabbis around the world will go to homes and apartment buildings and town squares and blow shofar from outside (this year, only on the 2nd day of Rosh Hashanah as the first day is Shabbat).  But that may require complex coordination and timing.  

Imagine my delight when I came across an email with the subject line “Learn to blow the shofar @home.”  Against a dark blue background is a blue man with an orange kipa—and an orange shofar with the words, “This year, blowing shofar is in your hands.”   And there is a link to register for a 3 session course—which I just took today!

I have been blowing shofar each day of Elul and am a more than passable amateur—for Elul mornings. But Rosh Hashanah is different.  The stakes are higher. Enter Rabbi Chanoch Kaplan and three videos—about 15 minutes each, on The ABCs of Shofar Blowing, Kosher Shofar Blowing and the Kabalah of Shofar.  Rabbi Kaplan acknowledges that many people will be at home this year and will need to take responsibility for blowing the shofar. He addresses how to select a shofar, where to get it, tricks on how to blow (right side, since that is where Satan resides; use two fingers to support lips), he explains and demonstrates the 3 sounds, addresses who can blow the blessing and shares mystical and spiritual elements.  The course is free but it is worth a donation for learning to fulfill such an important mitzvah for oneself and potentially for a family or a neighborhood.  Highly recommended!   

Go buy honey and get a pre-holiday haircut—but don’t forget about shofar blowing!

Register here!



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