For Gishrei Shalom, A New Year Means Reflection
By the time the Outsider arrived at Gishrei Shalom Jewish Congregation on Monday evening, many members of the local Jewish community had already been fasting for upwards of 23 hours.
The holiday of Yom Kippur ran from sundown on Sunday to sundown on Monday this year. The “Day of Atonement,” Yom Kippur, is the holiest day in Judaism. Having celebrated the start of a new Jewish year a week prior with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish people fast for the entirety of Yom Kippur, approximately 26 hours. Those with health concerns are required to forgo the fasting so as not to cause themselves harm, but most at Gishrei Shalom do participate in the fast.
During this fast, the Jewish people spend time in self-reflection. They ask God for forgiveness for sins, but also apologize to friends, family, neighbors and even co-workers whom they may have wronged intentionally or unintentionally in the past year. They are encouraged as well to think of ways to do better in the new year.
It is a holy day, more solemn and reflective than celebratory. Services feature periods of deep prayer and meaningful music, as well as remembrance of lost loved ones and ceremonies that date back thousands of years. A ram's horn, or shofar, is blown to symbolize the end of the fast and ceremony.
Gishrei Shalom Finds its Place
At Gishrei Shalom, which means “bridges of peace,” the observances may look similar to those practiced in Reform Judaism around the world. However, there are some differences.
Notably, Gishrei Shalom is located in a church. The First Congregational Church in downtown Southington allows the community to use its space. When holidays are observed, members work together to transform the Christian sanctuary into a Jewish one.
The Torah, or Jewish holy book, that the congregation uses is stored in a special cabinet and is rolled out to the sanctuary for use. The Torah at Gishrei Shalom dates back to the 1600’s and was rescued from the Czech towns of Golčův Jeníkov and Čáslav. Every Yom Kippur, the congregation includes the names of Holocaust victims from those towns in their memorial service as a tribute to the original readers of their Torah.
Gishrei Shalom is also the religious home for a diverse congregation. Many members are older, but they come from a wide range of backgrounds. Some are converts to the religion. Others grew up in very observant and religious homes. Still others grew up in the Reform tradition and have kept practicing it.
For those who either converted or did not grow up with the practice, or for children growing up in the Jewish culture, the community offers adult education and Bat and Bar Mitzvah classes. Typically undertaken at 13 years old, the Bar or Bat Mitzvah tradition is a coming-of-age event for Jewish teens. At Gishrei Shalom, the confirmation ceremony is also offered later in the teenage years to provide more education.
“When you have a bar mitzvah, it's your entrance into adulthood. You're saying, “I'm an adult in the Jewish community”. That means [you] take on the responsibilities,” said Rabbi Alana Wasserman. “What are the responsibilities? That's what the confirmation is. It's helping to do the service and learn about Judaism as an adult would, as opposed to the way of learning about it as a child.”
For some, growing up Jewish in the 1950’s and 60’s didn’t guarantee them a Bar or Bat Mitzvah.
“We have bar mitzvah and bar mitzvah classes for adults. I was in the first one; I was one of nine of us who finished the first bar mitzvah,” said Fran Wolff, who was raised Jewish but did not have the opportunity to have a Bat Mitzvah as a child.
Reform Judaism at Gishrei Shalom
Gishrei Shalom is, as noted above, a Reform synagogue. There are noticeable differences from the Orthodox or Conservative branches of the religion.
As publicity chair Laura Minor described it, Reform is the most liberal or open form of Judaism. The denomination allows full equality between men and women, and that can be seen in the service. Many women at Gishrei Shalom wear the tallit, or prayer shawl, and yarmulke or kippah, a head covering. Both are worn exclusively by men in most conservative denominations, but the Reform tradition allows women to wear them as well.
Reform communities also encourage asking questions about the faith and how it pertains to one’s life.
“One of the greatest things about Reform Judaism is that it's based on asking questions, and that we're allowed to question and challenge, and try to come to our own understanding of things. That's why if you went around this room and asked everybody to tell you about kosher eating, everybody in this room would probably have a different definition of what they eat and what they don't eat,” said Minor.
Security a Real Concern
It would be remiss to profile any community without mentioning the struggles they face. For Gishrei Shalom and the worshippers who attend the services, antisemitism is a real and tangible concern, and it is on the rise.
“The year 2025 was the third-highest year on record for antisemitic incidents since the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) began tracking them in 1979,” reads a statement from the Audit of Antisemetic Incidents 2025 by the ADL.
The congregation has received bomb-threats via email, which was concerning for members, and security is taken seriously.
Those who want to attend a High Holiday service are asked to first contact Rabbi Wasserman so their name can be given to the security guard who allows worshippers inside. Doors are kept locked during services as well as a precaution. Zoom is also an option for those who are physically unable to attend services due to distance or illness.
A Local Welcome
However, Southington and the local community has been mostly welcoming, said Rabbi Wasserman, especially the Christian congregation they share a space with.
“I think the community here really has been very welcoming to us. We have a great relationship with the church. They've always been so supportive of us,” said Wasserman.
It was in the church basement that community members broke their Yom Kippur fast with bagels and traditional Jewish food such as lox and kugel. It was a welcoming community dinner that grew as more joined to break the fast.
As the Outsider was leaving, Fran Wolff, who had earlier proudly described herself as one of the first adult Bat Mitzvah celebrants in the community, had an idea as to how her community should be described:
“We may be small, but we're very mighty.”
