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Published on October 03, 2024
Baltimore County's "Rosh Hashanah Under the Stars" Draws Thousands for Jewish New Year Amid Global UnrestSource: Google Street View

In the cool evening air, the community of Baltimore County came together to observe Rosh Hashanah, gathering at the familiar setting of Oregon Ridge Park. Not one to dim in the face of adversity, this year's "Rosh Hashanah Under the Stars" event saw a robust attendance, as thousands decided to collectively turn a new leaf in the Jewish calendar amidst a backdrop of global unease. According to a report by WBALTV, Geoffrey Abraskin, the co-chair of the event, expressed the community's steadfast resolve, saying, "I think this year, more than ever, it's just amazing to see that we have 4,000 people showing up. It's not stopping anybody from coming and everybody, I think, feels stronger together as a community, especially this year."

The occasion also marked a transition period, with Rabbi Elissa Sachs-Kohen leading her last service at the park after 18 years. Sachs-Kohen shared her reflections, per WBALTV, "It is a time of renewal, of resetting, of saying whatever has happened in the last year, we start fresh. We start to build a world and a community and a family that is what we want it to be." The event, known for its distinctive communal nature in Baltimore, has grown to quickly become a bedrock tradition for many in the region.

Rosh Hashanah this year arrives just under a year since the conflict in the Middle East took a sharp and painful turn, with an October 7th attack last year by Hamas taking a toll of more than 1,200 lives. Despite, or perhaps because of the circumstances, thousands filled Oregon Ridge Park to assert continuity and community. "This is more of a reason to come together and do this and not let that overshadow our religion and what's in our hearts," said Geoffrey Abraskin, the Chair of "Rosh Hashanah Under the Stars," CBS News detailed.

Rabbi Andrew Busch, who also presided over the event, imbued those present with words aimed to bring solace and fortitude for the days to come, emphasizing the shared wishes for a sweet year of health and blessings for everyone — "for us, for those in Israel and its neighbors, for all people," he stipulated in an interview, as cited by CBS News. In the collective observance of Rosh Hashanah, the Baltimore Jewish community found the strength to not only remember the past but to also actively shape a hope-filled future.