Synagogue will hold “Yizkor” service for community during Year of Jewish Unity
On 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 one’s loved ones communally on a day that emphasizes communal unity and personal growth.
Rabbi Ahron Blasberg will lead Yizkor at Chabad Jewish Center of Aruba from 11;30am to 12:30pm 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 after Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur is the day when G-d forgives all of the Jewish people’s sins, both as individuals and as a community. By the same token, Jews around the world will spend the day in prayer — atoning for their sins, thanking G-d for his forgiveness and focusing on self-improvement for the year to come. Because of the day’s importance, Jews focus on prayer so much that they do not eat, drink or work. Yizkor adds to the day’s 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.
“Yizkor is one of the most powerful moments of Yom Kippur,” said Rabbi Ahron Blasb. “The 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.”
“Yizkor allows me to connect not just with my family, but also with family members who are no longer with us,” said Joseph. “Yizkor puts Yom Kippur in perspective: As we move forward in our lives, it allows us to look back and understand where we came from.”
This year’s community Yom Kippur services and Yizkor prayers bring added significance as Jewish communities worldwide celebrate the beginning of the year of 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-Lubavitch—with more than 1,100 centers, the largest network of synagogues in the United States—is expecting record crowds at High Holiday services, with a 15% increase in attendance expected at this year’s 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 the Sabbatical Year.
In modern times, the observance of Hakhel as a year of Jewish unity was established in 1966 by the Rebbe — 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 Judaism’s 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 Rebbe’s 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 visit JewishAruba.com/YomKippur.
or contact Rabbi Ahron Blasberg at JewishAruba.com
