Jewish holiday seeks blessing for new year

FORT SILL, Okla. Sept. 18, 2015 -- "Leshanah tovah tikateiv v'teichateim"

"May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year."

It's a Hebrew saying repeated at Rosh Hashanah and something Pvt. Amado Lazaro, C Battery, 1st Battalion, 40th Field Artillery, hopes will prove true for his own life.

As a three-week-old Soldier in Basic Combat Training, Lazaro had a blessing spoken over his new endeavor as part of the Rosh Hashanah service, Sept. 13 at Quarry Hill chapel.

Lazaro joined the small Jewish congregation as they celebrated Rosh Hashanah which represents the day the world was created and the start of the 5,776th Jewish New Year. During Rosh Hashanah members of the Jewish community will reflect, pray and seek restoration with themselves, others and with God.

"Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the High Holy Days or what some people call the High Holidays," said Sharon Kohn, a Jewish cantor from Kansas City, Kan. "The literal translation is 'the days of awe' and it means the head or the beginning. It's a time of starting new and getting to clean your slate."

Kohn explained how, optimally, when someone has made an error, they know about it, apologize, take responsibility of it and move on. However, the world doesn't often work that way and human nature will keep people from apologizing or taking responsibility. Kohn said Rosh Hashanah is a time where the community, collectively, can do introspection for wrongs they may have committed.

"Culturally, and this has been developed over hundreds of years, after three times of sincerely saying you're sorry, if they still don't forgive you, it becomes their problem, not yours," said Kohn. "But, you can't apologize to God for wrongs you've done to another person. It doesn't work that way. You have to go to the person you wronged."

Kohn also said most Jews are quick to forgive as they are also looking for forgiveness during this time.

Lazaro said he practiced forgiveness recently when during a gas-chamber training some of his fellow Soldiers made off-putting jokes about him being Jewish in a gas chamber. Unknown to them Lazaro's grandfather was a Holocaust survivor however, his grandfather's brother was not. Rather than being angry Lazaro used the situation to educate.

"I chose to ask for forgiveness from God over them," he said. "I was told I could pursue actions against the Soldiers but my belief teaches forgiveness. I chose forgiveness instead."

As the service started the congregation was led through a series of songs and prayers before the Shofar, or ram's horn, was blown as a wake-up call to do the work of introspection said Kohn. Lifting their prayer books, the group followed along as Kohn led prayers and songs in Hebrew and in English. The books often had the phonetic spelling of the Hebrew words so those who wanted to sing along in Hebrew, but couldn't read it, could still sing. The translations were also available on the page for those who were unfamiliar with the songs and prayers.

"The basic structure of the service looks the same but exactly how people do it varies from congregation to congregation," Kohn said. "If you went to most, there are commonalities but subtle differences between things."

Kohn likened it to Christmas and how gifts between people are common, however, some families open presents the night before, some the day of, some only give one gift while others give multiple presents.

"It all depends on the culture of the place," she said.

Unlike most Rosh Hashanah services which begin at sundown (the start of a new day in Jewish tradition), the service began at 6 p.m. to accommodate Soldiers, such as Lazaro, who must return to their units. Lazaro said he was concerned he wouldn't be able to practice his religion in the Army and was relieved to find the Jewish community met each Friday, and he was free to attend.

"I'm the only Jewish Soldier out of 580 in basic," said Lazaro. "I've come every Friday. The first service I was at I cried. It was so different and beautiful and at the same time felt like I was home.

"Growing up in my town, we didn't like war or fighting, and I had some people tell me I shouldn't join the Army because it would hurt my faith," he said. "But, I think of it as a chance to help others who couldn't fight for themselves. I feel like I did the right thing and that God is watching over me."

The second day the congregation met at a river where they received pieces of bread to represent their sin or wrongs committed. After a few moments of introspection, they were encouraged to cast the bread into the river, representing the washing away of their sins.

"And you will cast all of our sins into the depths of the sea," quoted the congregation during the water-side service.

Kohn said she takes joy in working with service members and feels "strongly about supporting the people who keep our world safe." She thinks a significant reason is because of her husband, Rick Simon's, experience as a Soldier in the Vietnam War.

"He said it was powerful for him to have access to a Jewish leader," she said. "Because of my age I can't enlist, but I think I'd do it in a heartbeat."

The schedule for the Jewish High Holy Days services are available by calling the chapel office at 580-442-3302. Regular Shabbat services take place Fridays at 6 p.m. at Quarry Hill Chapel.