As Minnesota’s Jewish community prepares for the High Holidays, the season of reflection comes amid a sobering backdrop: the second anniversary of Oct. 7 and a surge of antisemitism sweeping the globe. Rabbis across the Twin Cities say this moment is not only about prayer and atonement, but also about restoring a sense of unity in a community tested by grief and political division.
“In our tradition, there has never been a time when all Jews agreed on everything,” said Rabbi Alexander Davis of Beth El Synagogue. “The hallmark of the Jewish people is that we hold different perspectives on just about everything. The question is, can we follow in the footsteps of Hillel and disagree respectfully? I believe we can – with patience, humility and curiosity about one another.”
For Davis, the High Holidays are a time to balance personal reflection with communal renewal. He said he has seen a noticeable shift in how people are showing up to synagogue since Oct. 7.
“People are engaged and present,” Davis said. “They are hungry to deepen their connection with Israel, awakened to antisemitism they assumed was a thing of the past, and searching for a community that will support them and a Judaism that will nurture them.”
That search for connection, rabbis say, often runs headlong into the divisive politics of both Israel and American life. The task this season, they note, is not to avoid those tensions, but to meet them with compassion.
Rabbi Tamar Magill-Grimm at Beth Jacob Congregation in Mendota Heights looks toward common themes in Judaism to inspire unity.
“Divergent opinions are baked into our texts, into our culture,” she said. “Rather than trying to avoid conflict and keep things ‘Minnesota nice,’ Jewish tradition has taught us to be open to others’ ideas, that humility is a necessary ingredient to learning, but also to be strong when needed, to ‘argue for the sake of heaven.”
Magill-Grimm looks to Jewish culture as a tool for finding balance in the chaos: If we’re spending time enjoying Jewish traditions, it provides a break from the noise.
“We can’t be in fight mode all of the time,” Magill-Grimm said. “ That’s what the chagim are for – to take a break from all the noise and come together with family, chosen family, friends and community to focus on what Judaism means to us – to spend time focused on how our traditions can help us find meaning, comfort and growth in our own lives.”
Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman at Temple Israel says, as a proud Zionist leader, the challenge to hold the community together continues to grow and change – even when it comes to defining what it actually means to be a Zionist.
“I’ve never had to define Zionism before. I mean, never in my career,” she said. “All of a sudden, I have to start defining where we are in all aspects of Zionism, and it’s so mind-boggling for me. I come from such a proud Zionist place, and I now am being asked to – by very pro Zionist people who support the government completely – to define it; the people on the left who feel like they don’t hear about Palestinians enough, or what’s happening in Gaza, they want me to define it. It’s just such an interesting world that I’ve entered into.”
Rabbi Sholom Brook from Jewish Beginnings Preschool and Chabad Young Jewish Professionals, said he frames the challenge as an argument among family members.
“I think we could all agree that the Jews in Israel and the Jews around the world are one,” Brook said. “We’re one family. So we have an obligation, no matter where we stand politically, to treat all Jews as one big family. That’s the only thing I fall back on. It’s my family.”
Brook takes it on as his responsibility to help congregants process current events through a Jewish lens.
“We are asked to look at our homes and our homeland through the lens of Jewish tradition and evaluate how we have or have not lived up to our ideals,” he said. “That means shifting the focus from the noise that divides us to our shared communal bond.”
Both Davis and Brook emphasize that dialogue is essential, even when difficult. The Talmud, they note, is filled with arguments – and with lessons in listening.
“Let’s gather not only to observe our traditions, but to engage in conversations that bridge our differences,” Brook said.
For many young Jews, Brook added, pride in their Jewish identity has grown stronger in the months since Oct. 7.
“It could be something as simple as posting about their Judaism or their love for Israel on social media, even if it costs them friends,” he said. “Or it might be lighting Shabbat candles, putting on tefillin, coming to another class or a Shabbat dinner. These basic mitzvot and acts of engagement are giving people courage and pride.”
As the shofar sounds this year, both rabbis hope the community approach the season not just through the lens of tradition, but as an opportunity to mend divides and strengthen bonds.
“Prayer is very personal,” Brook said. “Use your own words. Talk to Hashem. Don’t only stick to the script. Let’s beg Hashem for a wonderful year – for ourselves, our families, our community, for Jews at large, for our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land, for the soldiers and the hostages.”
The High Holidays invite Jews to reflect on the past, acknowledge the present and aspire toward a future rooted in shared values. In a time marked by division and uncertainty, Brook says the season also calls for something deeper: a renewed commitment to one another, ourselves and our Judaism.
“Teshuva is returning to yourself. So I think finding that resilience in ourselves, because there is so much that we have in us to obviously be better, but to find ways how to do that and find practical ways to be more Jewish.”
Zimmerman agrees and feels the best path forward is by finding a way to build something positive and inclusive within the community.
“If we’re really going to build something, what does that mean? And to me, that is a place I feel like we can grow,” she said. “We can expand. We can actually build something rather than just dismantling whatever we decide isn’t our point of view. What are we going to build? We can’t just dismantle.”