Souls laid before God during Day of Atonement

On his left, his grandfather. On his right, his father.

Both men towered over the little boy as they stood in a synagogue for Yom Kippur services 40 years ago.

"I remember looking up and seeing tears streaming down my father's face -- and he was not one who normally cried," recalled Gary Golbart, 46, now a rabbi at Adat Ari El in Las Vegas.

"Then he would wrap me under his prayer shawl and hold me with reassuring hands. He was just a very religious man, and this time of year was very special. It is a time when we are laid bare before God."

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement for members of the Jewish faith, begins at sundown today and lasts through sundown Wednesday.

In Judaism, it is considered the holiest day of the year, marking the end of 10 days of repentance that began on the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana.

"It is a time when we ask those whom we have wronged to forgive us, and a time when we ask God to forgive our transgressions," Golbart said. "We ask for repentance sincerely. We are asking for an opportunity to change."

Gathered in synagogues and hotel conference rooms, in borrowed church halls and libraries, many of the more than 70,000 Las Vegas Jews will spend the entire day in prayer, fasting and fellowship. At the end of Yom Kippur, Jews believe that their fate is metaphorically sealed for the next year, Golbart said.

"It is an atomosphere where Jews are painfully aware of our shortcomings, both individually and collectively, and tremendously appreciative of the opportunity to have life," Golbart said.

"In Judaism, our deeds are more important than our faith. We are judged by our actions. In approaching God during this time, we are reminded that God knows our innermost thoughts and feelings, and if we do not intend to make changes, we're really making hollow requests. So it can be very emotional."

Services at Adat Ari El will be held at the Orleans Hotel, to accommodate the more than 550 members of the traditional-reform congregation expected to attend.

Golbart, who has lived in Las Vegas for 22 years, has been a cantor in various synagogues for 28 years. He became a rabbi nearly three years ago and now serves as both cantor and rabbi for the 7-year old Adat Ari El congregation.

"There is a time in Yom Kippur services when we look out among the congregation and remember those that are not there because of death," he said. "I can't help but have that vision of my father, of seeing that spontaneous flow of emotions. I could see his connection to the faith."

Golbart's father died before seeing his son become a rabbi, but a legacy of faith inspires his services today, he said.

"I always longed to have the ability to be touched so deeply with such sincerity. My father led by example, and I think so much of what I do reflects back to him," he said. "And I think he would be proud of me now."

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