THE SELMA TIMES-JOURNAL

Today High Holy Days begin for the Jewish community in Selma. Rosh Hashanah will be observed at Temple Mishkan-Israel with an evening service at 7:30 p.m. and a morning service Thursday at 10 a.m. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement and the most solemn day on the Jewish calendar, will be observed Friday, Sept. 21 with an evening service at 7:30 p.m. and a morning service at 10 a.m. Concluding services will take place Saturday, Sept. 22 at 4 p.m.

Ed Ember, president of the congregation for over 15 years, said that Steve Grossman will be conducting the services.

“The general public is welcomed,” he said.

The history of the local Jewish community goes back to the early 19th century. The earliest Jewish settlers first arrived in Selma in the 1830s. Religious services were held in homes. In 1870 the congregation Mishkan Israel was formed, and services were held in Harmony Hall twice a year for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Regular services began to be conducted in an old Episcopal Church. The Temple Mishkan Israel was built in 1899 and dedicated Feb. 23, 1900.

The High Holy Days are considered to be a period of reflection and contemplation for practicers of Judaism.