AUBURN – Cantor Hillel Katzir, spiritual leader of Temple Shalom Synagogue-Center, will focus his High Holy Day sermons this year on the “foreign language” of religion.

The Lewiston-Auburn Jewish community will welcome the new year of 5764 on the Jewish calendar with services for Rosh Hashanah, which begins on Friday evening, Sept. 26.

Rosh Hashanah begins a 10-day period in the Jewish calendar known as the Days of Awe, or the Ten Days of Return, culminating with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, on Monday, Oct. 6. It is a period that is set aside for Jews to examine their actions during the past year and determine how they can do better in the coming year.

“Many people don’t really understand, or think much about, such concepts as sin, repentance, atonement and other themes of these High Holy Days,” Katzir said.

“These ideas often seem remote, theological, with no practical application. My goal is to show people that these ideas may be an unfamiliar vocabulary, but they can have real meaning in their lives, in ways that will help them to make this a better world for themselves, their loved ones, and all humanity.”

Temple Shalom has declared the new year of 5764 as “The Year of Project Outreach,” seeking out unaffiliated Jews in the area, including those married to non-Jews, and making them welcome at the synagogue-center.

Project Outreach will include cultural, social and educational programs, as well as religious services, during the coming months, to attract Jewish individuals and Jewish families of all descriptions to the communtiy.

A second goal of the project, the cantor explained, is to make Judaism more accessible to Jews who have little or no religious education and to non-Jewish spouses of Jews, who may feel left out due to a lack of knowledge of Judaism.

“I know that many unaffiliated Jews and their non-Jewish spouses would like to find a spiritual home,” said Katzir, “but no one has ever taken the time to show them how to find the spirituality that is inherent in Judaism. That is my goal this holiday season.”

Temple Shalom, 74 Bradman St., will hold services for Rosh Hashanah at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, at 8:45 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, and at 8:45 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 28. Services for Yom Kippur will be held at 5:45 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5, and at 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 6. For more information, call 786-4201.