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HIGH HOLIDAYS 2023-5784
The Walnut Street Synagogue is pleased to offer High Holiday services this year in our historic synagogue at no charge to the community.
High Holidays Greeting 2023-5784
High Holidays Services Schedule 2023-5784
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PRE-HOLIDAY PROGRAMS
Not Just Apples and Honey: Rosh Hashana Foods and Their Many Meanings
September 6, 2023 7:00 pm ET (online)
Join us for our part seven of our Taste of Jewish Culture online exploration of Jewish food traditions and the historical connections between Jews and food with Jewish Food researcher Joel Haber. We all know that we “dip the apple in the honey” on Rosh Hashana. But there are so many more symbolic foods that Jews around the world eat on the holiday. What do all of these foods mean? Why is symbolism such a big part of this holiday? How legit are newly-coined symbols at the Rosh Hashana table? And most importantly, what do these traditions say about our people?
Which Fruit Did Adam and Eve Eat in Eden on Rosh Hashanah?
September 14, 2023 3:30 pm ET (presented by our partner – Orange County Jewish Community Scholar Program)
Dipping apple in honey is a common practice but is just one in a range of symbolic foods different communities eat on Rosh Hashanah. Why an apple? We could dip any fruit into honey to symbolize a sweet new year. Our sages had five theories, and they all give deep insight into the nature and purpose of the day. Come take a bite.
Rabbi Dr. Raphael Zarum is Dean of the London School of Jewish Studies (LSJS) and holds the Rabbi Sacks Chair in Modern Jewish Thought at the school. He is a rabbinic leader, lecturer and author with a passion for teaching traditional Jewish texts and innovative educational programming for young and old. Rabbi Dr. Zarum earned a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from King’s College London, leading to the publication of a number of papers on Quantum Chaos Theory. He also completed an M.A. in Adult Education, with distinction, at the Institute of Education in London. As well as Dean of LSJS, Rabbi Dr. Zarum currently serves as the Scholar-in-Residence at the Central Square Minyan in Hampstead Garden Suburb.
The Music of Kol Nidre
September 19, 2023 3:30 pm ET (presented by our partner – Orange County Jewish Community Scholar Program)
For many Jews, the melody of Kol Nidre is their most recognizable and most stirring liturgical music. We will investigate its origin and compare it with the way non-Ashkenazic Jews sing the same prayer. We will see the ways in which its motifs reappear as crucial musical signals throughout the Days of Awe. Finally, we will listen to several magnificent orchestral works which were inspired by Kol Nidre.
Dr. Joshua R. Jacobson holds a Bachelors degree in Music from Harvard College, a Masters in Choral Conducting from the New England Conservatory, a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Cincinnati, and a Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa from Hebrew College. Before retiring in 2018, Dr. Jacobson served 45 years as Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Northeastern University, including nine years as Music Department Chairman and six years as the Bernard Stotsky Professor of Jewish Cultural Studies. He is also Visiting Professor and Senior Consultant in the School of Jewish Music at Hebrew College and the founder and director of the Zamir Chorale of Boston, a world-renowned ensemble, specializing in Hebrew music.