On Wednesday evening, September 8th, at 8:15 pm Congregation Etz Chaim of DuPage County will gather to observe the Jewish New Year. Rosh Hashanah, literally “the head of the year,” begins the Jewish High Holy Days, also known as the “Days of Awe.” On the Jewish calendar, the New Year will be the year 5771.

Rosh Hashanah observance will continue with 10:00 am services on both Thursday, September 9th and Friday, September 10th. Special children’s services and babysitting will be available.

The 10-day High Holiday period culminates in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Services begin with the “Kol Nidrei” (“All Vows”) service at 8:15 pm on Friday, September 17th. Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year, is a day of prayer, fasting, meditation, self-examination, and penitence. Services at Congregation Etz Chaim are held throughout the day, beginning at 10:00 am on Saturday, September 18th, and ending with a final blast of the “shofar” (ram’s horn) at sunset.

Congregation Etz Chaim, the only Reform synagogue in DuPage County, has been serving the western suburbs for 50 years. It is located at 1710 S. Highland Avenue, Lombard. Its membership includes 550 families representing more than 50 different communities throughout DuPage and surrounding counties. For more information, please call the synagogue office at (630) 627-3912 or go to www.CongEtzChaim.org