A Shabbat and a sunset in Island Park

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Members of the community came to Masone Beach in Island Park last Friday to relax, and get their spirits ready for Judaism’s day of rest as the sun set over the horizon.

On Friday, Aug. 3 at 8 p.m., the South Shore Jewish Center held its third annual Shabbat on the Beach at Masone Beach. Rabbi Paul Hoffman led the services and music was played by Cantor Hillel Bar Zion.

The program was instituted by Hoffman, according to co-president of the Jewish Center Lisa Arian, and is intended to “honor the beginning of the Shabbat,” she said adding that, “everybody is welcome.”

This occasion partly inspired by the way the Jewish community was believed to have celebrated Shabbat during the 15th century, according to Hoffman, where members would go out before sundown and prepare themselves mentally for the Sabbath by watching the sunset; “mind, spirit, body, nature and God,” he said, all tied into one evening.

Additionally, at the heart of the event, Hoffman said, is music, intended to ease attendees into a calm state of prayer. “It’s all about the beauty of music moving people more so than the words,” he said. “ . . . Nobody has a problem listening to beautiful music.” When it comes down to it, the music is meant to “get you in the mood” for the prayers that follow, he said.