Five Minutes for Israel

Five Minutes for Israel wishes all Israel a sweet, peaceful and, above all, healthy New Year

Reflections on a very unusual Rosh Hashana

When creating a Rosh Hashana card one has to decide whether to go generic – apples, pomegranates, shofars, etc. or current/Israel affairs, all keeping some form of artistic creativity.

It occurred to me that while the Jews have undoubtedly celebrated the High Holidays under trying circumstances including some of the worst epidemics in human history (Spanish flu, Black Plague, etc.) this is the first time I have.

Hopefully this will be a one time event!

This week Israel signed treaties with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. This is current affairs, also but I didn’t figure out how to combine that into a card.

So a sweet and happy and above all healthy New Year to all who celebrate it.
And to those who don’t celebrate it KEEP HEALTHY ANYWAY!

About the 5-in-a-star

Those following the rules of the various groups associated with Progressive Judaism can pray by Zoom. Orthodox Jews don’t have that luxury.

It occurred to me, and others, that in addition to the dangers of attending synagogue on the High Holidays, hopefully controlled by masks, limiting numbers, hand washing and maintaining a two metre gap there are other dangers. I hope the rabbis have thought about this and come up with a Halachic work-around.

Torah reading can get crowded

Will Jews given the honour of reading from the Torah wear rubber gloves? Will there be hand sanitiser on the bimah? How will the two metre rule be enforced?

Still, these are everyday issues. Can anyone imagine a more effective way to spread a virus than blasting them into the air, one hundred times,  through a hollowed out horn? I hope a mask on the horn will be effective and acceptable.

Extra credit

• How risky are these common High Holiday activities during COVID-19?,  Shira Hanau, THE TIMES OF ISRAEL, 14 September 2020

Photo credit: A Jewish man reads from a Torah scroll as he prays at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem’s old city, Friday, April 10, 2020.
(AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

Photo credit: Torah reading from the collection of B’nai Jacob Synagogue, West Virginia on Pinterest.