Rosh Hashanah in the Park 

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     Last year on May 24th, I attended a mosque service held at the Farmington Valley Muslim Center. This year on October 2nd, I attended Rosh Hashanah held at Elizabeth Park. Last year the event was held at an actual mosque, yet Rosh Hashanah this year was held out in the open instead of a typical gathering/ meeting place, a synagogue. Last year was simply a prayer service, while this year was a celebratory service. Upon arrival, we received an evening program (siddur), and apple and honey stix to enjoy alongside the service. The atmosphere was family-oriented and a very welcoming environment especially since it was outdoors so everyone could mingle regardless of gender. I really enjoyed being immersed in a new religion and I loved being able to read and sing along due to the provided program or siddur type booklet. Overall I am not a very “religious” person at least not the way that I view myself. However I feel that I am a very spiritual person and I believe that there can be a higher power, but I don’t know what exactly that is yet. Additionally, I love learning all about different religions and religious beliefs. An interesting idea I found within the article What Religion Gives Us, written by Stephen T. Asma at the New York Times, is the idea of “How do our feelings and our thoughts blend together to compose our mental lives and our behaviors?” Religion does not only have to do with our belief system it can encompass one's entire life. This entire article is about our opinions and how we approach religion. Overall I really enjoyed my experience at this Rosh Hashanah service and was very intrigued by learning new facts specifically on why Jewish people enjoy apples and honey on this day to bring sweetness into the coming year.