Round Two of the High Holidays will get underway tomorrow, but this time Bermuda's Jews will have their rabbi.

Rabbi A. Nathan Abramowitz was due to fly in to lead last week's New Year services but the threat of Hurricane Juan, and the subsequent cancellation of last Friday's flights, put paid to that.

That morning, the Rabbi and his wife Babs had already packed their bags ready to get to the airport when the news came through that he would have to stay in Washington.

This left community member Fiona Elkinson, who had a formal Jewish education, to take over for the intense weekend of religious services.

But the rabbi is now here, albeit via Newark when his flight at the beginning of the week from Washington was again cancelled, and delighted to be back in the bosom of the Bermuda Jews.

“Jewish tradition is a lay-person's tradition,” said Rabbi Abramowitz, who has visited the Island ten times since 1999 Island ten times since 1999 when he was first invited to lead services here.

“It does not require a rabbi to perform services, a lay-person with a knowledge of the language, teachings, songs and liturgy can also lead.

“And Bermuda is fortunate to have people who fall into that category.

“What is wonderful is the richness of the Jewish community here. It is only a tiny, minuscule community yet the amount and the quality of the activities here is truly remarkable.”

He was also full of praise for community president Randi Cunningham and Ms Elkinson for the way they lead the community both in organisation of events and in the services themselves.

It has already been an eventful visit for the rabbi, a trip to Horseshoe Bay on Tuesday led him to witness the drowning of a Canadian tourist.

Rabbi Abramowitz said the traditional prayer for the dead when it was clear the man had succumbed, something the community are keen to pass on to the victim's family now that it is clear the man was Jewish.

But it is this weekend's events, the Rabbi Emeritus of the Tifereth Israel synagogue in Washington is most keen to talk about.

Tomorrow night is Kol Nidre where he will deliver his ‘Hurricanes of Life' sermon. The two hour service marks the start of a day of fasting, the holy day of Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement.

“It is a day completely devoted to the renewal of the spirit,” he said.

“It is a day which includes many elements, one is fasting - no food, no water. No normal attention to the needs of the body so one can devote oneself totally to the needs of the soul.

“It is a day for cleansing the soul and it includes many confessional paragraphs.

“But in the Jewish tradition, you confess directly to the Lord. And the confession includes every possible sin that one could commit.

“Sins of remission, of omission, sins that a secret, sins that are shared, sins that are in the mind, sins that are oral. All confessions are recited in the plural, we have sinned, and that is everyone's obligation to think whether he has participated in that particular sin.

“One does not receive absolution, it is not as simple as that.

“One has an obligation also to make amends, to redress any grievance, to restore any damage, to ask forgiveness and to commit oneself never to repeat the error - it is a complex process.

“With all this confession, it sounds like it should be a very pessimistic day, quite negative, quite a downer.

“But it is quite the opposite. The services contain words of reassurance and encouragement, that the Lord is a loving and forgiving God.

“He does not wish to punish, he wants to forgive.

“Some of the melodies we sing are quite solemn, penetrating and moving - but some are like dance tunes, they are joyous.

“The day ends with a long blast on the shofar. The ultimate expression of hope and optimism.”

Yom Kippur is day spent entirely in the synagogue, services will be starting at 9.30 a.m. and will go through until after 7 p.m. when the congregation will be readying themselves for the traditional Break Fast meal.

“People have to eat and drink to survive. If we can survive a day without eating and drinking and then it is as if we are angels - a symbol of the daily attempt to live more spiritual lives,” he added.

“It is all about starting over again and doing it right.

“You are never too old and it is never too late.”