Yom Kippur is coming this weekend on Shabbat. It’s the conclusion of the Ten Days of Repentance, but just the beginning of all our hopes that the New Year will unfold with new promises to contribute to its strength and peace.

A longstanding tradition is the Yom Kippur Symposium at 2:00 pm on Yom Kippur day. This year’s theme is adjusted to reflect the times we’re experiencing. Our four speakers will address “How Judaism has Shaped My Life, and How My Life is Shaping Judaism.” These four speakers are personally engaged in Jewish life that models how they’re engaged in the Jewish future. It’s amazing how these four remarkable people can represent four separate paths to Jewish living. I suspect that it will prompt you to imagine how you will participate in shaping Judaism in the future, too.

As published in the Beth Israel Bulletin, our four speakers are:

Jennifer Wizel
Cissy Segall Davis
Naomi Wittlin
Ed Septimus

Still reflecting on last week’s start to the Jewish New Year on Rosh Hashanah, you can find the texts of my sermons at our Temple’s website:

Erev Rosh Hashanah, “Finding Hope in Familiar Places since October 7th”
Rosh Hashanah Day, “What Happens when the Rabbi and the Pope Meet”

You can also find the video recordings of our livestream Rosh Hashanah services at https://www.youtube.com/BethIsraelHouston. The Ten Days of Repentance continue, and now, as we approach Yom Kippur, we greet each other with the words, “G’mar Chatimah Tovah,” may you be “Sealed for a Good Year in the Book of Life.”

L’Shalom,