GETZVILLE, N.Y. (WKBW) — Jewish community leaders here in Western New York are sharing the importance of finding faith and joy with loved ones, during these dark times.
"It's a scary time and I certainly understand that feeling. I'm feeling it too," Temple Beth Tzedek Rabbi Sara Rich said.
Starting October 2 Rosh Hashanah will be celebrated in synagogues across the country, including Temple Beth Tzedek in Getzville.
"We all have friends and family in Israel who we know right now are in safe rooms while missiles are falling," Rabbi Sara Rich said. "It's a scary time. I do believe that coming together gives us a feeling of strength."
While it was established in 2008, Rabbi Sara Rich said the conservative synagogue is a merged congregation of two existing synagogues, Temple Beth El and Temple Shaarey Zedek, that have a collective of more than 150 years of Jewish history.
History that leaders hope to protect while they celebrate the new year with police presence.
"It's really important that everyone can feel really important coming together because this is when we need to be together more than ever, so we'll have heightened security. Everyone who comes to the service needs to have a ticket so that we know who to be expecting," Rabbi Sara Rich said.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas committed murders and kidnappings of countless innocent civilians, including American citizens.
Just Tuesday, a terror attack happened in Tel Aviv, Israel that killed at least seven and injured several others.
"The situation in Israel isn't unique to this week or that past year. It's a continual situation that we address and deal with," Temple Beth Tzedek member Armand Morrison said.
Morrison said that despite this, the Jewish community will try to continue to focus on the spirit of the new year.
"Typically, most Jewish households are getting ready by cooking traditional Jewish food like brisket and chicken soup with Matzah Balls and Potato Kugel and things of that nature."
