Pioneer Local

Happy Rosh Hashanah
September 8, 2010
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Growing up in southern Illinois and receiving much of my education in small Christian schools, I didn't get to know many Jewish people.

I read a lot of Hebrew Scripture, but I didn't know many Jews.

One of the benefits of spending the last 11 years in the Chicago area is making Jewish friends. I edit three Pioneer Press newspapers that serve communities with sizable Jewish populations. I get as many calls from rabbis and synagogues these days as I do from pastors and churches.

Stefanie Pervos, one of my former interns, is the founding editor and blogger in chief of the award-winning Oy!Chicago website. I've learned some of my co-workers have family members who were Holocaust victims.

As a Christian, these experiences have given me a longing to connect in a deeper way with the Jewish roots of my Christian faith. Still, I have a long way to go in understanding the theological diversity of modern Judaism. I also need to brush up on my Jewish holidays, which sometimes cause school closings in my papers' communities. For the schools that remain open, debate ensues about whether to cancel sporting events and other activities.

As the sun set Wednesday, Jews began their celebration of Rosh Hashanah. To understand what this holiday is, I turned to the helpful Jewish Holidays page on the website of the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, which states:

"On Rosh Hashanah, the first day of the new year, the shofar is sounded to announce the judgment day, when humanity's deeds are remembered and assessed. Rosh Hashanah is also known as Yom Teruah (Day of Shofar Sounding), Yom Hadin (Day of Judgment), or Yom Hazikaron (Day of Remembrance)."

Unfortunately, four members of the so-called Westboro Baptist Church reportedly protested Wednesday in Evanston outside Northwestern University's Fiedler Hillel. I use "so-called" because Westboro doesn't seem like any Baptist church I've ever visited; all or almost all (depending on which news report you read) of the members are part of the same Kansas family. A Web search led me to this shameful hate group's posted schedule, which listed Thursday morning appearances at Niles West High School and a couple of Skokie synagogues.

I hope my Jewish friends understand the Westboro cult does not speak for my fellow Christians and me. In fact, the group's "God hates" signs and hateful rhetoric cause me to question the family's Christianity in light of 1 John 4:8: "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."

I need to shift my discussion quickly. If I keep writing about Westboro's shameful, anti-Semitic actions during this sacred holiday, I'm going to need to take "Happy" out of the headline. I better lighten this post up fast.

I recently stumbled upon an online video produced by the National Jewish Outreach Program's Jewish Treats. The group performs "Soul Bigger," a parody of the hip-hop hit "Gold Digger" by Chicago's own (although some people around here don't claim him after the Taylor Swift fiasco) Kanye West.

All levity aside, I can benefit from a time of reflection. This year, my birthday coincides with the final day of Rosh Hashanah, and I need to join my Jewish friends in contemplating how I can serve God better in my next year of life.

Happy new year to everyone observing Rosh Hashanah. Thanks for letting me -- and apparently a much more prominent Christian -- join you in celebrating such an important holiday.