Jewish holidays spark rededication for Lakewood Ranch residents

The stillness of a Saturday morning was penetrated by the laughter of 25 children, who burst through a room at Temple Emanu-El in Sarasota to prepare for a special scavenger hunt.

They had come to participate in the Tot Shabbat program, which is a gathering aimed toward teaching children 6 and under about basics of Judaism and temple life.

On Sept. 2, Lake Club's Susan Beck held her usual position as a volunteer at Tot Shabbat, one of the ways she gives back to her community.

As the Jewish High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah (Sept. 9-11) and Yom Kippur (Sept. 18-19) are upon us, Beck will use the time to reflect upon her contributions to others.

"I always pledge I am going to do more," said Beck, who with her husband, Ken, own the Bee Ridge Vision Center in Sarasota.  "This is a time when he think about how we can improve our lives. We talk to our children ... 'How can you be more helpful at school? ... 'How can you be a good friend?' We remind ourselves what is important."

Bridgewater's Steven and Gina Tillman brought their 2-year-old son, Elijah, to Tot Shabbat as they looked forward to the holidays.

"It is a time when we get together, bring our stories together," Steven Tillman said of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. "I grew up in a neighborhood in New York where there were a lot of Jewish families. After we moved here, it took time to find a vibrant Jewish community. But our community is growing."

Steven Tillman said he will use the time to reflect on the past year.

"We all have busy lives and we have many activities," he said. "I need to be more mindful, to put down the phone and spend more time with the wife and child."

Rabbi Elaine Rose Glickman explained Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year and is a time of celebration. Yom Kippur is the Jewish Day of Atonement and is a time for quiet reflection.

"We look forward to this time all year," Glickman said. "It is a time for our community to come together, a time when we rededicate ourselves. We also think about things we are proud of, and not so proud of."

Those not part of the Jewish faith might not have noticed Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are approaching.

"We got primarily by a lunar calendar, so you won't necessarily see anything different around the neighborhoods," Glickman said. "Rosh Hashanah is marked by a new moon, so if you know how to look for it, you can look to the sky.

"But it's not the same at all (the way Christmas is celebrated). There are not all the decorations and no special holiday music."

Beck grew up in New Jersey in a family that celebrated Christmas. When she married Ken, who is Jewish, 23 years ago, she felt drawn to Judaism.

"I felt a calling to it," she said. "I am more comfortable with it."

She said she likes the Jewish High Holidays' "lack of commercialization." 

"But is it a joyous time?" she said. "Definitely. It is about family and community."

Temple Emanu-El Rabbi Michael Shefrin added, "Rosh Hashanah celebrates the story of creation. It is the birthday of the world.

"And Yom Kippur is about repentance. We do a lot of work with our families about what they do in the community. We look back and realize we might have missed the mark on some things. It is an accounting of the soul."