“Do Jewish prayer services nurture us… or narrow us?”

— Dr Elliot Malamet

This is the first installment in our special, three-part Living Jewishly High Holidays podcast series that will take a deeper look at the Jewish holidays.

As we approach Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, many of us will celebrate the high holidays by attending a synagogue or shul service.

This episode explores our emotional, spiritual, and social relationship with — and connection to — synagogue structures and prayer services during the high holidays.

In a series of illuminating interviews with members of the Jewish community, traditional and modern approaches to the language and practice of prayer are discussed in relation to virtual engagement, the campfire community, and how we connect in a changing world.

“The act of prayer is an act of commission and omission. It has to be both, and you have to engage and disengage at the same time.” — Rabbi Yossi Sapirman

This‌ ‌episode discusses:‌ ‌

• What millennial Jews think about synagogue life — and what they would change about prayer services and texts
• Working with sacred texts — the tension between humanism and the sacred in prayer language
• How the practice of non-traditional prayer, such as social justice activism as a form of holy work and divine communication, can be secular or complement institutional ritual