Yom Kippur Workshop in the Spiritual Hub

The below article was planned to go out today to share our celebrations of Yom Kippur. Given the events in Manchester yesterday, our thoughts are with all those affected at the current time.

On Wednesday lunchtime, staff and students took a moment out of their busy days to come and visit the Spiritual Hub, our space for reflection, faith and celebration, in order to mark Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement. The Hub exists to give our school community the chance to pause, learn from different traditions and share moments of peace and inspiration together.

The day began with a thoughtful assembly from the Religious Studies team and a student, who shared personal reflections on Yom Kippur and its meaning. The student also demonstrated the sounding of the shofar, the traditional ram’s horn, which powerfully symbolises the call to reflection and renewal.

The lunchtime workshop invited everyone to reflect and set hopeful intentions for the year ahead through a series of meaningful activities. At the Gratitude Wall, postcards of blessings were pegged up in thanks, echoing the Jewish tradition of daily berakhot (prayers of gratitude). At Worry to Wisdom, worries and regrets were folded away into the Worry Box, while words of wisdom and lessons learned were shared to inspire others, a reflection of teshuvah, or turning back to what matters most.

The Sweet New Year station offered the chance to enjoy challah dipped in honey while writing down hopes for the future, echoing the traditions of Rosh Hashanah. Finally, at Light and Reflection, students lit tealights and chose words like peace, kindness or courage to carry forward.

The Hub was filled with gratitude, reflection and community spirit, a fitting way to honour the meaning of Yom Kippur and share in the values of renewal, hope and light.

Look out for the next workshop on 15 October, when the Hub will be celebrating Diwali with creativity and colour!