A Day of Atonement for Jewish groups

Alex Coolman

Local Jewish organizations celebrated Yom Kippur on Monday,

greeting their largest crowds of the year for the traditional Day of

Atonement.

The event, the culmination of the Jewish High Holy Days that began

Sept. 10 with Rosh Hashana, attracts more attendees than any other day of

the year, said David Rosenberg of Newport Beach’s Temple Isaiah.

Around town, security guards were posted at the entrances to

synagogues and community centers in response to the August shooting at a

day-care center in Granada Hills and the shooting last week during a

church service in Texas.

At the Jewish Federation Campus in Costa Mesa, a security guard

checked the names of visitors attending services. Guards and a specially

trained dog patrolled the grounds of Temple Bat Yahm in Newport Beach.

The synagogue got a scare Sunday night during Yom Kippur services when

security guards there thought they saw a man hiding in the bushes.

Security and Newport Beach police combed the area -- even conducting a

helicopter search -- but didn’t find anything, Sgt. Mike McDermott said.

Stephanie Gomer, program assistant for the adult department of the

Jewish Community Center of Orange County, which held its Yom Kippur

service at the Jewish Federation Campus, said the events in Granada Hills

had not kept Jews from coming to services.

“It hasn’t hurt us at all in terms of attendance,” she said.

Gomer estimated that about 400 people came to the morning service, a

number she said was comparable to that of previous years.

Pat Freely, coordinator for security at Temple Bat Yahm, said she was

impressed with the crowds of worshipers.

“This is the biggest turnout we’ve had in years,” Freely said. “We

seem to have a lot of people here I haven’t seen before, and I’ve been

doing this for six years.”

The temple made special arrangements to shuttle crowds in from parking

lots at a nearby church. At the Jewish Federation Campus, cars jammed

into every marked space in the parking lot and overflowed into

neighboring lots.

“This is a very important holy day,” Gomer said. “I don’t think

anything would keep anyone away.”