At 5 p.m. Monday the shofar (ram’s horn) was blown in Temple Mishkan Israel at the end of the High Holy Days celebration, concluding the final day of the 10 most sacred days on the Jewish calendar.

The final prayer in the concluding service reads: &uot;May the Lord bless thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and forever.&uot;

The High Holy Days celebration began on Friday evening, Sept. 26, with the celebration of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and concluded yesterday with the end of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement &045; the most solemn day of the Jewish year.

For observant Jews the season is one in which the focus is on repentance of sins against God in the previous year and receiving God’s forgiveness. On Rosh Hashanah God is believed to inscribe the names of penitents in the Book of Life and on the Day of Atonement seals those names in the book. Up until the shofar has blown, participants still have time to repent, and receive the blessing for the coming year.

At the end of the one-hour service &045; consisting of a memorial service for deceased loved ones, who are named, and a concluding exercise for the Day of Atonement &045;

those gathered greeted each other warmly, offering affirmation that their fellow worshipers had indeed been inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life.

They departed for their homes where a one-day fast would be broken, extending

best wishes to one another for the new year &045; 5764 according to the Jewish calendar.

Steve Grossman, owner of Microwave Roasters Inc., served as celebrant. Clad in his talit or prayer shawl and yarmulke, he read from the service book in English and in Hebrew and blew the horn. Assisting was Ed Ember, temple president.

Grossman conducted all three Yom Kippur services. Rabbi Debra Kassoff of Jackson, Miss., conducted the Rosh Hashanah services the preceding weekend.

According to Ember, the five services were well attended, with a number of non-Jewish guests attending.