We join the community in wishing our friends and neighbors of the Jewish faith a happy and healthy New Year. Rosh Hashanah began Sunday night at Jewish places of worship and the services include the traditional sounding of the shofar.
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement, which begins next Tuesday at sunset) are the High Holidays on the Jewish calendar.
Revere was once home to thousands of Jewish families and there were several synagogues. Today Temple B’Nai Israel stands as the lone Jewish house of worship in the city and we credit the Temple leadership and the members of the congregation for assuring that this historic building remains a thriving center of prayer and activity in the community.
When avid baseball fans think of Yom Kippur, they may recall the story of Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher, Sandy Koufax, who chose not to pitch in Game 1 of the 1965 World Series because it fell on the day of Yom Kippur, and being of the Jewish faith, he wanted to observe the holiday. Koufax took the mound in Game 2 and his team lost despite his fine pitching.
The Hall of Fame left-hander, who was born in Brooklyn, came back to pitch complete-game shutouts in Game 5 and Game 7 and help the Dodgers win the World Series over the Twins.
