Programs: High Holiday Edition
High Holidays Edition
We are excited to celebrate the High Holidays with you!
Rosh Hashanah marks the start of the Jewish New Year and opens the Days of Awe, the ten-day period that concludes with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It is a time marked by introspection and tshuvah, soul-searching, as we prepare ourselves spiritually for the year ahead.
At Fordham, we will dip our apples in the (date) honey, hear the shofar, share lots of festive meals, do tashlich at the Hudson and in the botanical garden, break the fast, make decorations, and build the sukkah on the Bronx campus. These events are free of charge but you must register in advance!
Rosh Hashanah
Wednesday, October 2 - Friday October 4
Yom Kippur
Friday, October 10 - Saturday, October 11
Register here for all meals and events
In addition, find the JSOs on campus before and during the holidays to celebrate with snacks and friends! Make sure to check Instagram @jsofclc or @rabbiatfordham for details.
Please note: While we will not hold religious services this year, we are happy to connect you with local options at nearby synagogues and Hillels, including transportation. Please contact the JSOs or write us at [email protected].
Wishing all of us a sweet 5785!
More about our learning programs
Are you ready to be transformed by Jewish wisdom?
Jewish learning is a spiritual practice that empowers each of us to make Judaism our own. This is more than academic learning: whether we turn to rabbinic texts, contemporary poetry, art, or music, we are called to draw this material into today's world to begin to heal ourselves, and the world we live in. In fact, learning was so central that a story in the Talmud imagines that our world is sustained by the sheer breath of small school children (Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 119a)!
Sometimes, our texts clash with your values; they were, after all, written when many voices were silenced, for example those of queer or people living with disabilities, or women or children. At Fordham, we come to these stories with our full selves, we acknowledge these difficulties, and we embrace this material on our way to creating a more just and equitable world.
All you need is your own curiosity, and an openness to be transformed. Absolutely no prior knowledge is necessary! All our events are free and open to undergraduate and graduate students and often also faculty and staff.
For example
Lunch conversations or other get-togethers on topics such as "What does it mean to be Jewish at a Jesuit university?" "Mitzvahs and Tikkun Olam," and more...
Adult B’Mitzvah program- TBD
Did you never have a B’Mitzvah* and would you like to deepen your connection to Judaism?
We will meet regularly throughout the year, in person and on zoom and explore issues that are relevant to you such as:
- What does it mean for me to be Jewish in the US today? How can I integrate this identity with my other identities?
- Which holidays, customs, music, art or texts speak to me? Which are difficult and why?
- What does Israel mean to me?
- How does Judaism tackle the big challenges of our time–climate change, economic inequality, the legacy of Jim Crowe and ongoing racial disparity as well as a greater awareness of gender expression and neurodiversity?
Absolutely no Hebrew or other prior knowledge is necessary. All you need to bring is your own curiosity and joy of learning.
By the end of our exploration, you will have a deeper appreciation of who you are as a Jew. If you wish, you will be called up to the Torah, can chant Torah from a scroll and receive a certificate. And we will have a party!
Interested? Contact Rabbi Katja Vehlow at [email protected]!
*For more on the term see here.
Multi-faith Learning
Multi-faith learning deepens our understanding of our own identity and at the same time creates community with people who are not like us across campus and beyond. This may include conversations on current politics, or, within the Abrahamic traditions, shared religious figures or practices, or building a sukkah. In principle, all of our events are open to students from all traditions and none, so that even a Shabbat dinner can lead to an interfaith encounter!