Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

The Tashlich, a prayer during which Jews symbolically throw their sins to the water to purify themselves ahead of the Jewish new year, sometimes draws crowds and often involve large gatherings, potentially creating superspreader events that could exacerbate the coronavirus crisis.

Lau issued a special directive to observant Jews noting that "reciting the Tashlich does not have to be near a source of water, and therefore no such gatherings shall take place this year." He added that "the prayer can be carried out from afar."

Lau further urged synagogue organizers to take the necessary preparations for the High Holy Days, including by writing down the congregants' names to ensure proper separation into "mini services." Likewise, the traditional blow of the shofar must be performed far away from worshippers to ensure virus-carrying droplets are not distributed across a large area.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Fearing virus spread, chief rabbi upends key Rosh Hashanah ritual appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

This poses a particular challenge to prayer services, which usually include packed synagogues and throngs of worshippers at the Western Wall. Two organizations, the Tzohar Rabbinical Organization and Ohr Torah Stone's Yachad Program for Jewish Identity, have announced that they would "to take as many services as possible into public outdoor spaces. "

According to their statement, "the six-year-old 'Shofar in the Park' initiative has already seen over 230 locations sign up for the program, with more joining every day. In addition to the traditional shofar blasts, Rosh Hashanah-related programming for families will add to the holiday atmosphere."

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Tzohar Founder and Chair Rabbi David Stav said his organization sees this year's unique circumstances as a challenge, not an obstacle. "We recognize and respect that people are afraid to come out for lengthy and crowded services," he said.  "Our goal, as always, is to make the services as accessible as possible and ensure that this time will be meaningful both for more observant and secular communities, for whom these days are a particularly important spiritual highlight of the year."

His counterpart at Ohr Torah Stone, President  Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander, concurred. "The Shofar in the Park initiative will enable hundreds of thousands of Israelis from all over the country to hear shofar blasts in the public sphere while safeguarding their health and the health of others," he said. "In particular now, during this time of pandemic, as there is so much strife and divisiveness between us, it's more important than ever to make connections between the various groups in Israeli society against the backdrop of the symbols that unite us. May this year bring health, unity, connection and understanding between us all."

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Undeterred by COVID-19, rabbis transform High Holy Days experience appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The attack, in which two people were killed outside the synagogue and in a kebab shop, stoked renewed concern about rising far-right extremism and questions about the police response.

                                             Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

The head of Germany's Jewish community, Josef Schuster, called the absence of police guards outside the synagogue on Yom Kippur "scandalous" as members of the congregation described waiting behind locked doors for the police to arrive, which took more than 10 minutes.

The assailant – a German citizen identified by prosecutors as Stephan B., firing what appeared to be homemade weapons – tried and failed to force his way into the synagogue as around 80 people were inside, then shot and killed a woman in the street outside and a man at a nearby kebab shop.

The attack, with the gunman ranting about Jews and denying the Holocaust in English, was livestreamed on Twitch, a popular gaming site.

The head of the city's Jewish community, Max Privorozki, was among those inside who watched the man trying to break in on monitors linked to a surveillance camera. "We saw everything, also how he shot and how he killed someone," he said.

"I thought this door wouldn't hold," Privorozki said outside the damaged door.

"That was a shock for us, that was Yom Kippur, all phones were switched off, we had to understand what was going on first – then switch on my phone and then call the police," he said. "It was really panic but I have to say after that, when the police came, we continued with the worship service, that lasted another three hours, the synagogue worship service."

The worshippers were brought out on buses several hours later. A video posted by a reporter for Channel 11 News showed people on a bus dancing, embracing and singing.

A worshipper who was at the synagogue, identified only as Christina, told Israel Radio that "it's not easy being openly Jewish in Germany," but "the main message is we can't give up. We won't give up on Jewish existence in Germany."

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier laid flowers outside the synagogue and met with community representatives, the first of several officials who were due to visit.

Ahead of the visit, Schuster was sharply critical Wednesday night of the lack of a police presence outside. "I am convinced that if there had been police protection there, in all probability the assailant would not have been able to attack a second site," he said.

Christoph Bernstiel, a local councilor who also represents Halle in the national parliament, told n-tv television that there will be a careful examination of how long the response took, "but at this point, it would be too early to draw premature conclusions."

Synagogues are often protected by police in Germany and have been for many years amid concerns over far-right and Islamic extremism. There has been rising concern lately about both anti-Semitism and right-wing extremism.

Germany's domestic intelligence agency has said that the number of anti-Semitic acts of violence rose to 48 last year from 21 the previous year. It also said that the number of far-right extremists rose by 100 to 24,100 people last year, with more than half of them considered potentially violent.

In June, Walter Lübcke, a regional politician from Chancellor Angela Merkel's party, was fatally shot at his home. Lübcke was known for supporting the welcoming refugee policy that Merkel adopted during an influx of migrants in 2015. The suspect is a far-right extremist with a string of convictions for violent anti-migrant crimes.

Joachim Herrmann, Bavaria's state interior minister, accused members of the nationalist, anti-migrant Alternative for Germany party of helping stir up anti-Semitism, an accusation the party rejected. Some figures in the party, which entered the national parliament in 2017, have made comments appearing to downplay the Nazi past.

The video streamed on Twitch, which apparently was filmed with a head-mounted camera, showed the perpetrator driving up to the synagogue in a car packed with ammunition and what appeared to be homemade explosives.

He tried two doors and placed a device at the bottom of a gate, then fired at a woman trying to walk past his parked car. The assailant then fired rounds into the synagogue's door, which didn't open. He drove a short distance to park opposite the kebab shop. He fired at what appeared to be an employee, while customers scrambled away.

What appeared to be a manifesto also appeared online, according to Rita Katz, the head of the SITE Intelligence Group.

The post Germany seeks to reassure Jews after Yom Kippur attack appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.