High Holiday Services on the River offer fresh alternative

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/08/2023 (1133 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One of the many rituals associated with Rosh Hashanah, or the Jewish New Year, is tashlich, the symbolic casting off of sins into a body of flowing water. Winnipeggers attending Rabbi Matthew Leibl’s inaugural High Holiday Services on the River will only have to take a few steps forward in order to participate in that ancient tradition.

Leibl is a rabbi for hire, having previously worked at Congregation Shaarey Zedek after being ordained in 2017. While he keeps busy year-round officiating at Jewish weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, baby namings, and funerals, this is his first time organizing and leading alternative High Holiday services. He will be assisted at the services by the husband and wife cantorial team of Justin Odwak and Sarah Sommer.

Services on the River will take place at the Gates on Roblin on the morning of the second day of Rosh Hashanah, Sept. 17, and on the evening of and day of Yom Kippur, Sept. 24 and 25.

The services, Leibl says, will be both traditional and modern, and have been designed to appeal to “anyone and everyone,” regardless of age or background.

“We’re hoping to attract people who want to do something for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but don’t know where to go,” he explains. “We’re hoping to attract people who have spent the last few years watching services online, from the comfort of their home, (and) who are looking to get back out to celebrate with other people, in person.”

Services on the River will feature the traditional prayers and themes that are familiar to anyone who has attended High Holiday services elsewhere in the past.

“But,” Leibl adds, “the services will still feel relevant, relatable, and meaningful for a 2023 audience in Winnipeg through the musical settings we use for the different prayers and through the context, interpretations, and explanations I plan to provide as the officiating rabbi.”

He even plans to add a dash of humour to the services.

Each service will be 90 minutes long — “perfect for modern attention spans and schedules,” Leibl says. More traditional, synagogue-based services typically last hours.

Leibl was determined to hold the High Holiday services at a “neutral” venue, one that would appeal to people who, for various reasons, are not comfortable in a formal synagogue setting. The Gates’ natural beauty and proximity to the Assiniboine River made it the ideal choice.

“I have always felt that being close to nature helps a lot of people with contemplation, introspection, and self-reflection, which are major themes for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur,” Leibl says.

Services on the River, it should be noted, is not the Winnipeg Jewish community’s only alternative High Holiday service taking place this fall. As it has done for more than 20 years, Camp Massad of Manitoba will be holding a fun and informal Rosh Hashanah service on the second day of the holiday at its Interlake camp site near the shores of Lake Winnipeg.

Like Services on the River, the Camp Massad service will offer a mix of conventional prayer and contemporary wisdom, songs and shofar blowing, and the opportunity to commune with nature while participating in a sweet, short and relevant start to the Jewish New Year. Like Services on the River, the Massad service also requires registration in advance.

swchisvin@gmail.com

The Free Press is committed to covering faith in Manitoba through our Religion in the News project. This reporting continues because readers like you step forward to fund it.

Donate now to support our reporting on religion.
Your donation is eligible for a charitable tax receipt. BECOME A FAITH JOURNALISM SUPPORTER