No synagogue needed: Jewish group celebrates new year in nature

On Saturday, many Jews in the U.S. will attend a Rosh Hashana service in a crowded synagogue, where they’ll hear a somber service from a rabbi about the need for introspection on the Jewish New Year.

Then there are the outsiders — literally. Each year for more than 20 years, a group of about 150 Jews from the Pikes Peak area has skipped the synagogue for Mountain Minyon, an informal outdoor event that includes hikes, a potluck, games and a Rosh Hashana service conducted by a lay leader.

The event has been going on so long that some of the younger worshipers have never experienced any other service on Rosh Hashana, which begins Friday night and kicks off the Jewish High Holy Days, a 10-day period that concludes with Yom Kippur.

“What better way could there be to start fresh than being in nature?” said Hannah Hindman, a 20-year-old university student who has never been to a Rosh Hashana service in a synagogue.

Hindman has girlhood memories of playing with friends by a lake near where the service takes place, and for her, the event is all about family and friends getting together to enjoy nature and Jewish traditions.

Organizers don’t advertise Mountain Minyon or reveal where the event takes place, so attendance has remained relatively small — but loyal.

David Siegel,19, has spent almost every celebration of the Jewish New Year at Mountain Minyon.
“There is something special about watching aspen leaves change and welcoming in a new year in a place so beautiful,” Siegel said.

He wasn’t able to attend a year ago because he was studying at the Manhattan School of Music, but he’ll be there on Saturday and is looking forward to it.

“I’ll leave feeling refreshed and ready to take on the new year,” he said.

Those interested in attending can e-mail susieplus3@comcast.net.
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Call Barna at 636-0367