The holiest days of the Jewish faith begin tomorrow at sundown, and while spirituality will be the primary focus at synagogues across the country, safety will be a close second.
Five weeks into a U.N.-orchestrated cease-fire between Israel and the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah and two months after a fatal shooting at a Seattle synagogue, Jewish congregations will celebrate Rosh Hashana, or the Jewish New Year, beginning a 10-day period known as the High Holy Days.
The period ends Oct. 2 on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
The New York-based Union for Reform Judaism recommends that its 900 or so member congregations across North America keep safety in mind when preparing for High Holy Day services.
"There's not going to be one approach that's right for all of those congregations," said Dale Glasser, director of the union's Department of Synagogue Management.
The union recommends two main safety precautions for congregational leadership: communicate with local law-enforcement officials and communicate with temple members, Glasser said.
"If they have a relationship with the local police, when there's the need for an alert or more attention, they're the ones who are more likely to know," he said. "The other is just to be aware--raise awareness within the congregation."
Beth Sholom Temple, the only synagogue in the Fredericksburg area, plans to contract Stafford sheriff's deputies for security--something it has done in years past, said Bill Kennedy, public information officer for the Stafford Sheriff's Office.
The southern Stafford County temple also plans to implement tighter security measures, such as a more stringent ticket policy, according to the temple's Web site.
Tickets are required for attendance to all Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur services.
Many of the Union for Reform Judaism's safety recommendations were compiled after the Sept. 11 attacks, but are still pertinent in light of more recent events, such as the foiled terror plot last month targeting airliners in Britain and the July shooting at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, which killed one person and injured five others.
Holiday services also draw more attention to Jewish temples at this time of year, Glasser added.
"There's more news coverage. People are thinking about it," he said. "There's publicity about High Holidays even in a community that's not primarily Jewish."
But Glasser cautioned Jews from being overly fearful or losing sight of the purpose of the High Holy Days.
"It's very important for us that any security decisions are made in the context of keeping congregants and facilities as safe as possible, and that they're done in a way that's consistent with what the institutions are," he said. "We don't want congregants to be afraid when they go to synagogues."
People attend High Holy Day services seeking spiritual guidance and comfort--not more reasons to be afraid, said Rabbi Robert Nosanchuk of the Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation in Reston.
"People already come into the High Holidays affected by world events and they expect that the services and the teachings that are shared will help them to feel a sense of healing and hope about the world," Nosanchuk said. "The last thing you want to do is destroy that or shake it up even further at the doorway."
Because of space limitations, the 470-family congregation hosts many of its High Holy Day services at a neighboring church, which reduces safety risks, he said.
Still, the temple has taken extra precautions this year, Nosanchuk added.
Congregation Beth Ahabah in Richmond always has had a security plan, but the 720-family temple has enhanced it this year, Executive Director Jane Ann Schumann said.
"Our ticket policy has become more strict," Schumann said. "We're definitely going to be enforcing that, predominantly for security."
Tickets are required for adults and children for all High Holy Day services at Richmond's largest synagogue.
Schumann attributed the measures to recent national and international events, but also to the temple's location in the state's capital.
"We are in an urban setting, and we are just very security-conscious because of the fact that we're in an urban area," she said.
Schumann echoed sentiments that safety concerns shouldn't interrupt the celebration, prayer and repentance of High Holy Days.
"We do want everybody to feel safe, and it is something I don't want any member to have to worry about, because they should be thinking of more spiritual things at this time," she said.
To reach NATASHA ALTAMIRANO:
Email: naltamirano@freelancestar.com