The past week on campus has been challenging, to say the least. There are very few days in the year on which we allow ourselves to stop and take a breath. Sometimes holidays can help us take the break that we need, but it can be hard to connect religiously or spiritually at Wesleyan, especially when there are so many other things vying for our attention. We have just celebrated the Jewish New Year, or Rosh Hashanah, a day on which we hear the call of the shofar (ram’s horn) and eat sweets. The news from the past week has certainly been less than sweet, and the two of us are ready for the reflection of Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, the sister holiday to Rosh Hashanah. On Yom Kippur, we reflect on things we have done wrong this year, and things that our community has done wrong as well. The day is a chance to take responsibility for ourselves and those around us, to ask for forgiveness, and to help us move freely and unburdened into the new year. We would like to invite our campus community to join us in taking a deep breath and reflecting – on ourselves and on one another, and how we can move forward. We can also use this day to be thankful for the support of our communities in times of struggle, and to start the new year together in peace and power. Shanah Tova U’Metuka (Have a Good and Sweet New Year).

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