Local Shalom Group celebrates Jewish New Year downtown

The Lincoln Hills Shalom Group will hold its annual Jewish New Year services for the first time at downtown's Heritage Theater Oct. 3-4 and Oct. 13-14.Services include Rosh Hashanah (New Year's) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). Cantor Jim Heilborn, a Lincoln resident, will officiate."We are thrilled to be holding our services this year in such a magnificent facility," said Shalom Group President Al Klein. "The theater is not only attractive, but provides enough room for everyone who wants to attend. We had to turn people away last year, and we don't want that to happen again."Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services are known as the High Holy Days, and are the most sacred events on the Jewish calendar. During the High Holy Days, Jews around the world ask forgiveness of their sins, and ask God to write them in the Book of Life for another year.Rosh Hashanah, celebrating the year 5766 on the Jewish calendar, begins the evening of Monday, Oct. 3 with a service at 7 p.m. New Year services continue the following day at 10 a.m.Yom Kippur traditionally provides the final opportunity for forgiveness and is observed with a 24-hour fast, beginning this year with the chanting of the Kol Nidre prayer at the 7 p.m. service on Oct. 13. Yom Kippur services resume at 10 a.m. Oct. 14, continuing with the Memorial and closing services at 5 p.m. Following the services, the Shalom Group is providing an extensive break-the-fast meal that will be served at the Heritage."We're including a lot of traditional Jewish foods for attendees including herring and whitefish, kugel (noodle pudding) and traditional challah bread," said Klein. "It will be a real treat after a day of fasting."Shalom Group services are organized by volunteers from the Sun City Lincoln Hills-based club. Lincoln resident Sylvia Studin heads up the process, backed by a team of committee chairs in charge of activities ranging from parking and security to design of the tickets for this year's services. "It's amazing what our volunteers have accomplished," Studin said. "The break-the-fast will look like a fully catered meal this year, but most of the cooking and preparations are being done by volunteers."Studin recently received a call from a Shalom Group member offering to provide flowers for the sanctuary."I asked which holiday - Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur," Studin said. "She said, 'Both.'"Other critical elements for the services that Studin has overseen include construction of a special table to hold the Torah scrolls, finding adequate High Holy Day prayer books and even acquiring the Torah itself - loaned to the group by one of the local synagogues in Sacramento."We see these services as the most important activity of the year for the Shalom Group, and many of our members have stepped forward to ensure its success," Studin said.The Heritage Theater is located at 561 G Street. Tickets for the services are $65 per person. Children younger than 18 are admitted for free when accompanied by an adult and all military personnel are welcomed free of charge.The services are open to all, but reservations must be made by Sept. 19 through calling Mel Reitman at (916) 408-5155, or by sending a check made out to the Shalom Group to Reitman at 2603 Woodacre Lane, Lincoln, CA 95648.Heilborn was Cantor at Congregation B'Nai Israel in Vallejo for 13 years prior to moving to Lincoln in 2000. Since then, he has led High Holy Day services at a number of congregations including his participation last year with the Shalom Group.The Shalom Group is a social club that is part of the Del Webb Sun City Lincoln Hills community. - Lincoln resident Alan Markow, president of AM Communications (www.amcommunications.net), is a member of the Lincoln HillsShalom Group.