Taking a pacific tack on Tashlich

On the Sunday between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, 20 people emerged from the palm tree-framed Malibu Surf Shack along Pacific Coast Highway, lugging long-handled paddles and paddleboards toward the beach.

With prime conditions beckoning, they waded into the water and paddled on their boards to the edge of Malibu Pier, where they sat, joining their boards in a circle. Then they joined voices, letting “Mi Chamocha,” the Hebrew prayer commemorating the crossing of the Red Sea, ring out — a fitting beginning to a prayer service on the Pacific. 

Although their voices came together in unison, maintaining the circle required their constant effort — not always successful — amid the changing rhythm and flow of the waves. Which was all part of the experience of being there, said the group’s leader, Rabbi Joel Nickerson of Temple Isaiah in Los Angeles.

“I love when people try to create the circle,” Nickerson said. “I like seeing a group of people come together. They’re creating a prayer space. There’s team building on one level, but also it asks, ‘How do you create a new prayer space that’s not a sanctuary with chairs.’ I love that idea.”

Nickerson has been leading Paddleboards and Prayer, an alternative supplemental form of High Holy Day observance, for three years. He describes the experience as reflective, introspective and, ultimately, “a new form of tashlich” — ordinarily a Rosh Hashanah ritual that involves throwing bread into a body of water to symbolically cast off the sins of the previous year. 

“It’s one thing to stand on the shore and throw bread crumbs. It’s another to be out there,” Nickerson said. “When you come back in from the shore, you’re kind of a different person after moments of self-reflection out there, self-confidence gained. You can come back revitalized and think about the new person you want to be, which is relevant this time of year around Yom Kippur.” 

This year, after singing “Mi Chamocha” and reciting the Shema, Nickerson looked back to the pier, from which the prayer circle had traveled a good distance. 

“Look at how far we’ve drifted,” he said to his bobbing congregants. “Things are always going to change. Doesn’t matter if you want them to or not. They will. That’s what each year brings.” 

Many who attended the service were there for the first time. Some had never been paddleboarding before. Nickerson said he liked offering people an opportunity to start off the Jewish New Year by tackling a new challenge. 

“People say they want to try new things and this is a good way to take off on that path by mentally and physically challenging themselves in a Jewish context,” Nickerson said. “I think that adds a deeper element to whatever your actions are.”

Per his own tradition, Nickerson asked everyone in the circle to share their reflections on things they were grateful for and things they were looking forward to doing in the new year. The participants, ranging from high school students to retirees, spoke about such things as their goal of attending college, enjoying a successful home remodel and being grateful for grandchildren. 

Nickerson then encouraged everyone to paddle off individually, reflect inwardly, or schmooze with new friends. It was at this point, Nickerson said later, that he went from facilitator to spectator. 

“The day is a combination of a communal experience and a personal experience,” he said. “After the service is finished, people go off in their own directions at their own speed. It makes me feel good that I can facilitate that communal experience and also watch people go off on their own personal exploration on the water.” 

Tina Feiger, 64, now retired after 39 years as a counselor and psychology professor at Santa Monica College, was paddleboarding for the first time. She said the experience resonated with her. 

“It’s another way of being in my community,” Feiger said. “I liked hearing things about these people that I don’t know. It’s smart that [Nickerson] has us proclaim these things right out there on the ocean. There’s something spiritual about being in our natural environment. I felt in touch spiritually.”

Spencer Edelman, 17, a senior at Beverly Hills High School and a Temple Isaiah member, was a first-timer at Paddleboards and Prayer. Edelman, who said his college search hasn’t allowed him much time to be involved with his Temple Isaiah community, was excited to attend and found it fulfilling. 

“It was really cool,” Edelman said. “A lot of temples wouldn’t do stuff this unique. I just really liked how it combined religion with hands-on activity out on the water.” 

Nickerson, a Bay Area native, said he always found himself drawn to the Pacific Ocean around San Francisco as a kid — a feeling that hasn’t waned. A longtime boogie-boarder, he discovered paddleboarding a few years ago with one of his Temple Isaiah congregants. Although physically challenging, paddleboarding also can allow for a tranquil experience on the water — a combination that Nickerson said fit with his desire to take his version of a prayer service offshore. 

“I’ve always loved the water and I think this is a perfect time of the year to combine my love of the water with Judaism,” Nickerson said. “I had always been looking for ways to connect Judaism to nature beyond hikes, which a lot of communities do. There’s something powerful to being on the water, a mysterious element to being out there.”