A member of Shirat Hayam shows a pieces of bread she will cast into the sea.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
VENTNOR – Members of the Conservative and Reform sects of Congregation Shirat Hayam joined in a Tashlikh service Tuesday, Sept. 7 on the beach at Fredericksburg Avenue.
The ritual is held on the first or second day of Rosh Hashanah, which welcomes a new year for members of the Jewish faith and provides hope for a good year ahead.
In addition to prayer recitation and hymn singing, the congregation brought little bags filled with bread to cast into the sea. The chunks of bread symbolize remorse or regret for past transgressions, which are thrown to the wind, with the hopes of entering a new year refreshed and without burdens.
“The juxtaposition of ephemeral bread and eternal water can remind us of our place in God’s vast universe and perhaps move us to make positive changes in how we live our lives,” Rabbi Jonathan Kremer wrote in the program booklet.
A part of the prayer written by Rabbi Rachel Barenblat reads:
“As I cast this bread upon the waters
Lift my troubles off my shoulders.
Help me know last year is over
Washed away like crumbs in the current.”
About 100 people attended the brief but meaningful service as children danced in the surf and seagulls hovered overhead hoping to snatch up a piece of dry bread before it fell into the water.
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