Susanne Katz's Holiday Message

Growing up in Atlanta, my first memories of synagogue life were high holidays at The Temple. Each year my mother would take me to Lenox Mall to buy my new outfit for the holidays. As I sat in a pew during Rosh Hashanah services, I would often stare at the beautiful light coming through each of the glass windows, and I wondered if I would see something different through each one. As I grew older and attended services occasionally with my friends at other synagogues, I stared through the windows and again wondered if I would see something different through each one.

As I grew up, I began to associate different viewpoints through each of these windows and realized that I would see a different perspective through each one. Life and religion, both could be seen from divergent perspectives, depending on one’s vision and point of view.

And I learned that everyone sees the world through their own window, so if I would look through their window with their vision, I could see and understand what could bring new meanings to my mind. I learned an appreciation for different points of view.

This year, during a different and frustrating time, I am listening to new perspectives and new ways of coping. This year will bring challenges, but I am reminding myself to look through windows to see new visions of the world we are living in now.

Susanne Katz is a contributor to the Atlanta Jewish Times.