JEWISH JOY AND CELEBRATION IN THE PARK
- Harriet Sigerman
- 3 hours ago
- 5 min read
Oheb Shalom Congregation welcomes Rosh Hashanah
By Harriet Sigerman
Under a glowing sunset sky, the sound of Hebrew prayers reverberated across a broad slope near a big, shady tree in Maplewood’s Memorial Park on Sept. 15, 2023. Rabbi Abigail Treu of Oheb Shalom Congregation in South Orange had just launched the first Rosh Hashanah in the Park service.
“The genesis of the idea was my wanting to do something that would help bring Jewish joy and celebration into the public sphere, whether you belong to a synagogue or participate in the Jewish community or whether you don’t,” says Rabbi Treu.
Rosh Hashanah celebrates the Jewish New Year. For Jews around the world, it begins a 10-day period of repentance and introspection – which Jews refer to as the Days of Awe – that ends with Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. On that day of fasting and prayer, Jews ask God’s forgiveness for their transgressions and to inscribe them in the Book of Life, a metaphor for a year of good health and blessings.
So when Rabbi Treu and then-Cantor Eliana Kissner chose to conduct Rosh Hashanah in Memorial Park instead of in Oheb’s sanctuary, they hoped to create a uniquely spiritual and communal beginning to the Days of Awe. They also wanted to open the service to all Jews and non-Jews.
“We wanted to offer a service that would be accessible to people who aren’t part of the synagogue, and we also wanted something that was going to be an offering to the wider community,” Cantor Kissner says. By being outside, she says, “it just makes the service automatically more accessible.” And because the free service began at 5:30 p.m., when residents were heading home from work, a cross-section of people attended. “I definitely encountered people whom I had never met, people who weren’t members of synagogues, people who might not do anything for Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur,” says the cantor.
Rosh Hashanah in the Park is now an annual tradition. The congregation is preparing to celebrate its fourth Rosh Hashanah in Memorial Park. Approximately 300 people, from newborns to seniors, have attended the past three Rosh Hashanah services in the park. People bring chairs or sit on blankets on the grass and some enjoy a picnic dinner afterward. Services are conducted in a mix of Hebrew and English, and attendees receive printouts to follow along with the songs and prayers. At the past three annual services, Rabbi Treu and Cantor Kissner briefly explained the meaning and significance of each prayer and song.
Because Judaism expresses a deep bond to the natural world, with prayers and text that lyrically describe the wonders of nature and the Jewish connection to the land, it seemed only fitting to welcome the New Year in the bucolic setting of Memorial Park. Rosh Hashanah falls on the first day of the first month of the Jewish year, and in services, Jews acknowledge the new moon. “We wanted to be outside and acknowledge that and be in relationship with nature,” says Cantor Kissner.
For the first Rosh Hashanah in the Park, Rabbi Treu recalls, she and the cantor created “a service of its own. We didn’t just take the service that we would do in a sanctuary in a traditional or classic liturgical sense. We created a service that was almost like the ‘greatest hits’ of Rosh Hashanah, which makes it accessible for people who have a little bit of background.” They continue to use that “greatest hits” service outdoors.
When asked whether it felt strange being outside the familiar setting of a synagogue sanctuary, both clergy women emphatically said no. “I love creating new rituals, new ways of onboarding people, new ways of connecting and creating public space and Jewish experiences for people and also interfaith experiences,” says Rabbi Treu.
Cantor Kissner observes, “We’re in the world sanctuary. Judaism grew out of an indigenous tradition connected to the land. We have our harvest festivals that are connected to specific harvests. We traditionally have a Jewish wedding ceremony under the chuppah, under the canopy, where you can see the open sky. Judaism really is a tradition that’s connected to the natural world, so for me it wasn’t something new. It’s going back to something that already is. We said the prayer about the new moon, recited psalms that talk about the animals and plants, sang about peace and its connection to a river.”
Congregants have also expressed deep satisfaction with observing in the park. Robin Wiener, a member of Oheb, says, “[My husband] and I have gone to the Rosh Hashanah service in the park for the last few years and absolutely love the camaraderie. It is beautiful to see so many people come together to share in the service, especially those who are not Jewish. The rabbi and cantor bring so much joy and happiness to the service, which is often so solemn.”
Dena Neusner, another Oheb member, says, “Having it outdoors makes it casual and grounded in nature, which gives it both a fun and spiritual vibe.” Her husband, Andy Neusner, agrees. “Unlike a service in the synagogue, it’s a gathering with literally no walls. And it’s nice that kids can rampage without disrupting things.”
According to Michelle Strassberg, Oheb’s executive director, “The program is an opportunity to educate the public about the spirit and essential message of [Rosh Hashanah]. For Jewish people who are not affiliated with a synagogue, it may be the only way they experience and learn about the holiday and its theme of renewal and forgiveness. For those who are not Jewish, it is a chance to experience a nonpolitical, spiritual and communal event that makes the New Year’s holiday experience approachable and family friendly.”
At the second annual Rosh Hashanah in the Park on Oct. 2, 2024, at least half the attendees were not members of Oheb Shalom. Rabbi Treu recalls, “Looking out at the crowd, there were many faces I knew and many more faces that I did not know.” These faces included numerous non-Jews. “I think it’s been an important landing spot for interfaith families where there’s some part of the family that is Jewish and other parts that are not, and you figure out how to do Jewish together.”
Rabbi Treu now considers Rosh Hashanah in the Park “a cultural event in the community” because of public interest in it. And public officials from Maplewood and South Orange, such as Vic DeLuca, Sheena Collum and Dean Dafis, have also attended each year.
The annual event is held in conjunction with PJ Library, an organization that publishes and distributes Jewish picture books and recordings. For the children attending, PJ Library supplies “busy bags” containing honey sticks (for a sweet new year), a flashlight (to bring light into the world), small toys and a family-friendly holiday guide.
On Sept. 11, which is also the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Jews will once again gather in Memorial Park near the big, shady tree to welcome the new moon and a new year in the Jewish calendar. They will sing and pray together for a sweet New Year and for peace around the world. As Rabbi Treu says, “It’s very special and moving to start the New Year outdoors and come together for a spiritual experience that’s loving and joyful.”
Harriet Sigerman, a member of Oheb Shalom Congregation, looks forward to celebrating Rosh Hashanah in the Park every year with her family and friends.
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