Jewish community observes Rosh Hashana

By ROCHELLE ROSEN Hour Staff Writer

WESTPORT - Members of the Jewish community began celebrating Rosh Hashana, one of the holiest days on their religious calendars, Friday night.

"We believe we should be doing good deeds, reflecting on our actions and finding ways to become better," said Cary Shaw, Treasurer of the Congregation for Humanistic Judaism of Fairfield County.

Although the meaning of the holiday remains the same, the congregation’s celebration programs have changed with the times.

“We felt the Rosh Hashana service needed to reflect the changing times.   What we tried to do is make it spontaneous.   Spontaneity and warmth are very important to make the experience timely,” said John Franklin, a Westport resident who was one of the original co-founders of the congregation.

Franklin has created a unique program for this year’s services that includes poems and a candlelight ceremony.

One of Franklin’s poems, entitled "Y2K", illustrates how life for children in today’s society has changed.

“Watching a child become a person/ Hoping the violence doesn’t worsen/ Wondering about the security at school/ Replacing road rage with the golden rule,” his poem reads.

“You know it is written for today, yet the theme is timeless,” Shaw said.

The congregation was formed in 1967 and offers traditional Judaic principles expressed in contemporary ways.

“For me it is a place where I can feel good about being a Jew and feel no conflict with modern scientific understanding of the world,” Shaw said.

The congregation is affiliated with the Society for Humanistic Judaism and the International Federation of Secular Humanistic Jews. 

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