High Holy Days

So, the next ten days or so are the most important in the Jewish Calender. They are referred to as the High Holy Days ( or days of remembrance, or days of repentance) they start with Rosh Hashana, the Jewish lunar new year, and end after Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, in which we ask forgiveness for all of our sins from the previous year. It is said that for sins against God, praying for forgiveness can grant atonement, but for sins against man, we must make restitution to one another. So, if any of you are angry or feeling slighted by me this year, now is the time to let me know. Anyway, yesterday Colin and I attended services at Turo Synagogue in New Orleans. The predecessor to the modern Turo synagogue was the first synagogue founded outside of the original 13 colonies in America. The building they are currently in is from 1909 and is absolutely beautiful, although it was damaged by Rita and Katrina. Turo has a really interesting history, since it was a temple that was originally founded by a Sephardic Jew, but was Ashkenazim in the rituals it employed. The history of the congregation is fascinating, and more can be learned about it here.