illustrate the dilemma some teens face, especially when the
Rachel Margolin of Orchard Lake and her family — father Steve, mother Beth, sisters Judy and Amy — are dressed for holiday dinner. To
Holidays are on the weekend, Rachel daydreams about being with her friends Shayna Katzman, 17, of West Bloomfield, Mia Gordon, 17, of Franklin and Hannah Miller, 17, of Farmington Hills.
High
with Rosh Hashanah on a weekend, does teen social life intrude?
by Rachel Margolin
he High Holidays are almost upon us
— time for dressing up, visiting with ex-
tended family, eating more food than
imaginable, repenting sins and celebrating and
inaugurating a fresh start.
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom
Kippur, the Day of Atonement, are the most impor-
tant of all purely religious Jewish holidays. While
Rosh Hashanah is a time for family gatherings, spe-
cial meals and sweet-tasting foods, Yom Kippur is
the most solemn day of the Jewish year, a time for
fasting, reflection and prayers.
Every few years, the High Holidays fall on a
weekend. This year, Rosh Hashanah is Saturday
and Sunday, Sept. 19-20. Yom Kippur is on Mon-
day, Sept. 29. A weekend holiday can crimp teenage
social plans.
For some, this weekend conflict does not faze
them; they feel spiritual duties of the holiday come
before social or personal obligations. Other teens
feel constricted by sitting in services for hours and
eating a family meal that lasts longer than usual in-
stead of socializing.
Regardless of which attitude a teen adopts, reli-
gion and family can interfere with fun and friends
when the High Holidays fall on a weekend.
A local Reform teen, wishing to remain anony-
mous, is a diehard Michigan football fan. She attends
almost every football game with her family, includ-
ing away games. When the High Holidays conflict
with a Michigan football game, they must decide
how to find the spirituality of the holiday while deal-
ing with another event important to them. They be-
lieve the High Holidays are a time to be with family.
By attending a Michigan football game, they are still
fulfilling that duty, just in a different way.
The synagogue the family attends offers services
at varying times. This year, they will attend the earli-
est morning service and then travel to Ann Arbor to
see their team play their way to victory.
Other teens aim for a more traditional route when
celebrating the holiday.
For Matthew Weisberg, 17, a se-
nior at Frankel Jewish Academy in
West Bloomfield, having the High
Holidays on a weekend does not
conflict with his awareness that the
holidays are a time to look inside
at his choices over the past year.
With a more traditional family
Matt Weisberg
teen2teen September 10 • 2009 TT1