Head of School's Message: October 3

Chandler is a secular school, but as we strive to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive, we believe it is important to support all members of our community in their faith traditions.
School will be closed on Wednesday for families to observe Yom Kippur, the Jewish High Holy Day of Atonement. Within the Chandler community, there are families who observe the precepts of the major religions, and many who don’t. All faiths include precepts that call for self-imposed consequences or penance for the mistakes we have made as well as for forgiveness for those who have wronged us. From a humanist perspective, the willingness to repent and to forgive represents the highest level of ethical and moral development. Yom Kippur reminds everyone, Jews and Gentiles, believers and non-believers, to pause and reflect on what we have done, what we have failed to do, and how we can be better community members.
 
In this week’s Cloverleaf, Adam and Vanessa Kopcho, the parents of Vivienne in Grade 6 and Ellis, a member of the Chandler Class of 2022, kindly agreed to write about the meaning of Yom Kippur:
 
 “We are delighted to know that Chandler will be closing to honor Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is the most sacred day of the Jewish Calendar. It comes 10 days after Rosh Hashana which is the Jewish New Year. According to tradition the ‘10 days of Awe’ between these two high holidays is a time for introspection and repentance, when one makes amends and asks for forgiveness for sins committed during the past year. 
 
Yom Kippur is the culmination of the 10 days, and it is observed with a 25-hour fast and special services at synagogue. Fasting is not meant to be a punishment but as a way of cleansing one’s body and mind to divert attention from material possessions and superficial comforts, and to focus within.
 
Even people who don’t normally attend synagogue will attend services on Yom Kippur, especially to hear the Shofar (Ram's horn) blown at the end of the service which signifies the end of the fast. Then everyone can go home and enjoy a feast with family and friends.
In Sydney, Australia, where Vanessa and I grew up, we attended Emanuel Synagogue whose chief Rabbi is Jeffrey Kamins - a Los Angeles native and a treasured asset in the Sydney community. Vanessa and I were married there in 2006, and both our parents were married there. It was a special honor for us to celebrate Ellis’ bar mitzvah there in August this year.
 
Growing up, I was not a huge fan of going to synagogue, but in my late teens, I came to appreciate the beauty and solemnity of the Yom Kippur service. The highlight was listening to the cantor and congregation sing the ancient and spiritual prayer called Avinu Malkeinu. It is a chant-like melody that slowly washes over you and builds up into a crescendo and then lets down. It is a true ‘Hebrew spiritual’  - like listening to the Jewish blues! 
 
Here is a link to a local Sydney artist called Lior singing with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. I think it’s marvelous. It captures the essence of Yom Kippur.”
 
Vanessa and Adam signed their piece, ‘Shana Tova’, (Good Year) the traditional Hebrew greeting shared after Yom Kippur. Shana Tova to all Chandler families.


Most sincerely,
John Finch, Head of School
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