EINPresswire/ -- As Jews across the world gathered for the Day of Atonement, Sim Shalom Online Synagogue—led by Rabbi Steve Blane—brought together a global community for reflection, repentance, and action. This year, Rabbi Blane’s message, echoed in his Substack essay “So You Want to Play with Fascists”, was one of moral urgency: the shofar’s cry this Yom Kippur must be heard not only as a call to the soul, but as an alarm for a nation in danger.

Sim Shalom’s Yom Kippur observance blended ancient liturgy with contemporary resonance. Streaming live from the All Angel's Church on the Upper West Side of New York City to worshippers across the globe, the service featured traditional prayers, heartfelt music, and Rabbi Blane’s stirring sermon about the moral voice of Judaism in a time of fear and polarization.

“Normally, I wouldn’t post on Yom Kippur,” Blane wrote. “This is the one day a year when words are supposed to fall away, and silence speaks louder than any sermon. But this year, the silence would be betrayal. The shofar is not a lullaby—it is an alarm.”

In the essay, published under his banner The Substack Rabbi, Blane addresses the moral crisis facing American Jews as political leaders dismantle institutions that have long safeguarded Jewish life and democratic values. “When Elon Musk calls the ADL a hate group, and when the FBI severs ties with the organization that has trained law enforcement about antisemitism for decades, that is not policy—it is peril,” he writes. “And when Jews still cling to that regime for convenience or comfort, it is time to wake up.”

During Sim Shalom’s Yom Kippur service, Rabbi Blane urged worshippers to hear the ancient call of the shofar as a call to conscience:
“The shofar cries out for justice, for truth, for each of us to speak up while we still can. This year, repentance must mean courage—the courage to name what is happening and to stand against it.”

Founded by Rabbi Blane in 2009, Sim Shalom is a pioneering online synagogue dedicated to inclusivity, musical prayer, and universal access to Jewish life. Through livestreamed services, lifecycle events, and innovative rabbinical training, Sim Shalom continues to build a spiritual bridge across continents—uniting Jews and seekers of all backgrounds in a shared vision of compassion and moral clarity.

The full essay can be read on The Substack Rabbi at:

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