Synagogue will hold āYizkorā service for community during Year of Jewish Unity
OnĀ Yom Kippur, the day when Jewish communities across the world unite in atonement and forgiveness, Chabad Jewish Center of Aruba will hold a Yizkor memorial service during Yom Kippur prayers.
Recited by community members who have experienced the death (G-d forbid) of a parent, sibling, spouse or child, Yizkor gives space to remember oneās loved ones communally on a day that emphasizes communal unity and personal growth.
Rabbi Ahron Blasberg will lead Yizkor atĀ Chabad Jewish Center of ArubaĀ from 11;30am to 12:30pmĀ on October 5, which is Yom Kippur morning. Services for the day begin at 10:00am. All community members who wish to attend Yizkor are welcome to join the community in remembering their loved ones.
Coming on Tuesday evening, October 4 and Wednesday, October 5 until nightfall, on the 10th day afterĀ Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur is the day when G-d forgives all of the Jewish peopleās sins, both as individuals and as a community. By the same token, Jews around the world will spend the day in prayer ā atoning for their sins, thanking G-d for his forgiveness and focusing on self-improvement for the year to come. Because of the dayās importance, Jews focus on prayer so much that they do not eat, drink or work. Yizkor adds to the dayās solemnity and brings community members together as they begin a new year.
For decades, Chabad-Lubavitch, an international Jewish organization that firmly believes Jewish traditions and customs is a birthright of every Jew and that every Jew should have access to them, has made High Holiday services available free of charge, a model that other synagogues and organizations around the world are now looking at to replicate. The Yizkor service is one of many Chabad holiday programs, which give Jews the opportunity to perform Jewish holiday rituals and remember their ancestors.
āYizkor is one of the most powerful moments of Yom Kippur,ā said Rabbi Ahron Blasb. āThe memorial service allows community members to make space for lost loved ones on this important day, and to remember those family members as a new year begins.ā
āYizkor allows me to connect not just with my family, but also with family members who are no longer with us,ā said Joseph. āYizkor puts Yom Kippur in perspective: As we move forward in our lives, it allows us to look back and understand where we came from.ā
This yearās community Yom Kippur services and Yizkor prayers bring added significance as Jewish communities worldwide celebrate the beginning of the year ofĀ Hakhel, a once-in-seven-years effort to organize and host Jewish gatherings focused on unity and Torah learning.
The marking of this special occasion is part of the reason Chabad-Lubavitchāwith more than 1,100 centers, the largest network of synagogues in the United Statesāis expecting record crowds atĀ High Holiday services, with a 15% increase in attendance expected at this yearās High Holiday services.
In the Temple Era, Hakhel was an event that saw the Jewish people gather in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem in the year following theĀ Sabbatical Year.
In modern times, the observance of Hakhel as a year of Jewish unity was established in 1966 by theĀ RebbeĀ ā Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, the most influential rabbi in modern history. Born in Ukraine 120 years ago, the Rebbe built back Jewish life there after the fall of Communism and led Judaismās global post-Holocaust renaissance.
The Rebbe called for the year of Hakhel to be a time for people to come together in unity. Synagogues, Jewish institutions and individuals will host communal gatherings to encourage Jewish observance and the study of Torah. Today, the Rebbeās campaign promoting the Year of Hakhel is widely observed in all segments of the Jewish community.
Other Yom Kippur programs include Kol Nidrie Tuesday October 4th 6:30pm.
Neilah Wednesday October 5th 5:30pm followed by break-fast
For more information about Yom Kippur visitĀ JewishAruba.com/YomKippur.
or contact Rabbi Ahron Blasberg at JewishAruba.com
