For High Holidays, rabbis brace for complex discussions on Gaza war and US politics

Robert Nosanchuk, senior rabbi at Mishkan Or in Beachwood, Ohio, thinks of sermons at the High Holidays like snapshots of their times: “They capture a moment in time of relationship between … the congregants, the clergy and the world at large,” said Nosanchuk, who leads the Cleveland area’s oldest Reform congregation.

The sermons, he added, put the ancient Jewish teachings in perspective, showing “how they might operate in a world that is trembling.”

Starting at sunset on Monday (Sept. 22) with Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, synagogues and other Jewish communities entered their High Holidays, one of the busiest times of their calendar. The 10-day observance ends with Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, considered the holiest day of the year for Jews. Yom Kippur starts this year at sundown Oct. 1.

Religion & Politics

Photos of the Week: Nine-night Hindu festival, Rosh Hashana

Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, gather for a prayer during a Rosh Hashanah holiday dinner outside the prime minister's house in Jerusalem, calling for their release, Monday Sept. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

In Opinion

And finally, What is Navaratri, the Hindu festival of nine nights?

Monday (Sept. 22) marked the start of Navaratri, a vibrant, nine-night Hindu festival dedicated to the Divine Feminine in all her forms. Hindus will dedicate rituals to the goddess Durga — the “Mother Goddess” who embodies the feminine energy known as Shakti — in recognition of her victorious nine-day battle against the buffalo demon, Mahishasura.

In Hindu tradition laid out in the Devi Mahatmya, a third-century sacred text, each night is dedicated to the form of Durga that appeared as the battle raged, as her powers shifted from day to day in ways that helped Durga eventually defeat the demon. Night one’s Shailputri represents Durga’s courage and focus to begin the battle, whereas night seven’s Kalaratri is considered Durga’s most dark, fearsome warrior form.

Some Hindus celebrate all nine of Durga’s manifestations, while others divide the holiday into three parts, dedicated to the triad of goddess Durga, goddess Lakshmi and goddess Saraswati — representing power, prosperity and wisdom, respectively.

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