Rosh Hashanah in the Park

When we first arrived at the service we were a bit early and were able to stand near the entrance of the park. It was great to see families across generations walk to the location of the service all together. There were many hugs and kisses exchanged between people, some of which did not even seem to be related. Yet, through this holiday, and their religion, they had an inherent connection that brought them close together. This is something that I admire. I don’t have a strong family connection as many of these people do and I found myself a little envious of the culture as we moved closer to the start of the service.

As someone who does not align with any religion and views a lot of religion as problematic, I found myself agreeing with a lot of the things the Rabbi was saying. Something that stuck with me was the story behind the saying, “it is, what it is.” I have heard this phrase throughout my whole entire life from my mother who has comforted me in countless times of need, referring back to this exact statement. The words describe my mindset in life perfectly. I focus on the big picture so as to not get hung up on little things. Because of this it is easy for me to move on past conflicts and defuse situations in the moment.

One of the things that struck me the most about my time at the service was the abundance of police vehicles lined up near the rose garden. I have a strong feeling that the reason for this is because of the amount of antisemitism charged attacks in the recent years. I still remember hearing about The Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh mass shooting on the news that left 11 dead in 2018. The juxtaposition of still needing this kind of protection in a time of celebration and good fortune stuck out to me. It is upsetting that this is necessary but I understand the reasons for the precautionary measures.