The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1919-09-25
Kenosha's Jewry Prepares
To Celebrate New Year
Holidays With Services
At Synagogue This Week.
MOST SOLEMN HOLIDAYS
The New Year Holidays and Day of
Atonement Are Most Solemn In Jew
ish Calendar Distinguished BY the
Blowing Of the Shofar.

Kenosha s Jewry is preparing to ush-
er in the 56S0th year of the Jewish
faith with appropriate services which
will be held at the synagogue on We'd
nesday evening, Thursday and Friday
The holiday will begin at shutdown
Wednesday and continue until sun
down on Friday. At ten clock Thurs
day the Rev. Hartman of the congrega-
ton B Maj Zedek, will render a sermon.
DIR. Kipnes, M. d., will be here to hold
special services for the children in the
vestry rooms of the synagogue at ten
O'Clock Thursday and Friday mornings.
The approaching holidays are cele-
brated by Jewish people all over the
world as the most solemn holidays in
the Jewish calendar. The New Year
holidays are known in Hebrew as
"Rosh Hashanah' and the Day of
Atonement which falls on Saturday,
Oct. 4, is known as Yom- Hakipurim I
Collectively they are known as Yam
in Naraim'' or awful days.
"
tum or harvest time was hailed as
the beginning Of the year and there
were special sacrifices and blowing Of
trumpets. While the Jews were still
in Palestine only one day was observed
as the New Year, but with the expul-
sion, Johonan ben Iakkai instituted an
additional day due to the change in
time in different longitudes.
Rosh Hashanah is the day of judg
ment when all creatures pass before
the Judgment seat of the Creator The
searching eye of the Omniscent sees
and judges every creature. Satan is
the accuser and the angels defend each
human being before the Almighty. The
fate of the human being is settled then
and there.
There are three classes: The thor
oughly good or the righteous are i'm
mediately inscribed into the book of
life; the wicked are blotted out Of the
book of the living; the Indifferent are
given ten days, until the Day Of Atone
ment ito repent and then their fates are
sealed. The great scales are before the
Creator-the sins are on one side of
the balance and the good deeds on the
other. Rosh Hashanah is an awful day.
1t is spiritual inventory Of conduct, Of
means employed and Of ends gained or
lost. Retrospection is the order of the
day. After the passing Of a year one
must pause and take stock and decide
whether or not one s course is upward.
Human progress cannot remain station
airy, one either progresses or regresses
and on Rosh Hashanah each Jew
searches his heart and plans his new
year accordingly.
A distinguishing feature of these holi
days is the blowing of the shofar or
rams hrn, which arouses the people to
repentance. There are many versions
as to the origination of this custom. One
of these is that it is in commemoration
of the sacrifice of Abraham when a
ram was sacrificed instead Of his son
Isaac. Another version is that the
blowing of the shofar stands for liberty
and in ancient days proclaimed the
Jubilee year Of the Jewish people when
all slaves were forcefully set free:
when all purchased lands reverted to
their first owners; when all debts were
etfaced. The blast of the shofar once
called the Jewish Legions to war and
was the signal to charge into the bat
4 70 Of 80 Fl TT
brews. In former days the sounding of
the shofar was the signal for the ceas-
ing of work on Friday the eve of the
| Sabbath.
| The blowing of the shofar has also
spiritual meaning. On the day of re-
trospection the shofar sounds the kew
note of alarm against spiritual slavery.
1t is call to arms against all evil.
There is a particular manner in which
the shofar must be blown and each com
munity assigns certain man to this
task of calling all to spiritual ae-
.counting.
There is one significant fact about
Rosh Hashanah. Only iniustices
against God are forgiven the repentant.
Injustice between men cannot be for
given but these injustices must be made
good by the repenter before his fate
| is sealed.
| This Rosh Hashanah is Of special
significance to the Jewish people both
because of the ceasing of hostilities and
because the New Year is undoubtedly
ushering in new era for Jewry all
over the world when they will once
again be established in their beloved
PALESTINE.