For a Jewish member of the Seawolf community, September is a busy month that holds multiple holidays highlighting and remembering different events, from tragic hardships to the Jewish New Year. Like all Jewish holidays, Rosh Hashanah starts the night before the actual holiday date, and goes until the night after. As a result, the holiday started Sept. 6 and went until nightfall Sept. 8. This holiday was celebrated by Seawolves in the Magnolia Park as a part of the Shabbat event put on by the Jewish Club on campus, Hillel. 

Yom Kippur, another holiday in the Jewish Religion, was celebrated by Hillel on Sep. 17 by breaking the fast with Denny’s breakfast at the house of Hillel in the M section of Rohnert Park. September is typically the busiest month for a lot of practicing Jews, yet as the month comes to an end, there are still many ways for students to share their faith and get involved with a welcoming community on campus.

The goal of the Jewish community is: “to create a safe space for people to honor culture and build community.” While some people of faith don’t always feel welcomed on their college campuses, Hillel’s mission is for those “to acknowledge one another’s culture and have that be a part of their identity.” 

Sara Feinman, president of Hillel and Jewish Community leader, went on to state that “the Jewish community is a small and diminishing community and now is the time we need each other the most. So much of what we’re doing for our community is just showing up and being there for everybody.” Yom Kippur is a time to reflect on our individual actions, take responsibility and find a way to forgive ourselves and those around us for any negative that has been brought into the world. Everyone could learn from taking time to self-reflect and to improve the things that we find wrong from within.

The next Jewish holiday in September, Sukkot, takes place during the week of Mon., Sept. 20 – 27, and will be celebrated with Hillel on October 1st with a Friday night Shabbat in a location to be determined later. While both Sukkot and Yom Kippur are about reflection and improvement, Sukkot is more group-experience oriented, and is supposed to be a humbling experience during the ceremony as people are supposed to find their place in the universe and realize how small we as humans are.

The first Jewish music series event took place on Sept. 2, with the Klezmatic band Kugelplex. There will be five more events highlighting the musical culture of Judaism, ranging from Classical music, Klezmer music, and Yiddish music all on Thursdays throughout the semester. For those interested in a different style of music and culture, concerts are open for all, but seats are limited and will fill up as the musicians draw out a small crowd from the Rohnert Park locals. While the first Kugelplex concert took place outside, all concerts are scheduled to be taking place in the Schroeder Hall at the Green Music Center. The next Jewish Music series event is scheduled for Sept. 23rd and will feature the classical band: The Bridge Players. There will be three main musicians, Randall Weiss (violin), Victoria Erlich (cello) and Marilyn Thompson (Piano). The first concert in October will be done by Yiddish vocalist Harriet Bennish on Oct. 7. Tickets are free, open to anybody, but it is required for students and faculty to sign up and reserve a seat for each concert event as seats are limited in the Green Music Center. 

For Seawolves of Jewish descent, practicing Jews or anybody looking to dive into Jewish culture, Sonoma State has an event and an organization for you. Hillel provides a welcoming, all inclusive environment for students, and Jewish members of the community. They serve food, read prayers and serve as a hub to the local community. While disaffiliated with Hillel, the Jewish Music series and performances share a similar welcoming feeling because attendees are asked to enjoy their time in a safe space and inclusive community. There are many opportunities for Seawolves to find their community through SSU, and for those in the area to share their culture, faith and religion.