SLIPPERY ROCK — Atonement and forgiveness will be the topics when a rabbi addresses the Ginger Hill Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 174 S. Main St., Sept. 28.

Rabbi David M. Horowitz, rabbi emeritus of Temple Israel in Akron, Ohio, will speak at 11 a.m., said Lois Ament, a board member of the lay-led Slippery Rock congregation.

“He’s a well-known speaker and has spoken at a number of different places,” said Ament. “He was the keynote speaker of the Unitarian Universalist summer institute at Oberlin College in Ohio in July. We are very excited to have him.”

“Some of the members of the congregation got to talking with him (at the institute) and he suggested why doesn’t he come to Ginger Hill?” said Eric Perner of Butler, a member of the congregation.

“We show interest and great respect for all of the various religions, and it’s nice to have him come to explore some of the different aspects,” said Ament. “With Yom Kippur, we are going to talk about atonement and forgiveness, which is important in all religions and in all people’s lives even if they don’t identify with a religion.”

“Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are at this time of year,” said Ament. “That’s certainly topical. This is a great time to do that.”

Rosh Hashanah on Sept. 24 marks the start of the Jewish New Year and the beginning of the Jewish High Holy Days.

Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, begins Oct. 3 this year.

It is the holiest day of the year for the Jewish people, who traditionally observe a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer.

Ament said, “We are very pleased to have him come. He’s going to be speaking on Yom Kippur, and if there is anyone who would like to learn more about other traditions we are encouraging everyone to come.”

“The title of my presentation is ‘The Mysterium Tremendum of Yom Kippur,’” said Horowitz.

Horowitz said, “I’m going to take the point of view, using this period of time, for people to contact others and allow themselves to reconcile differences and for the need to forgive oneself so that we can move forward from the mistakes we have made in the past.”

Horowitz will lead the congregation in an observance of Tashlick, or Let it Go, which is related to the time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Ordained in 1969, Horowitz has been the spiritual leader of congregations in Indianapolis and Hammond, Ind.; Queensland, Australia; before going to Akron, Ohio.

He said he does presentations for the members of the Academy for Spiritual Formation, a program of the Upper Room, a Methodist publishing house. He added his keynote speech at this summer’s gathering has garnered him many invitations to speak at Unitarian-Universalist churches.

Ament said, “The public is invited to this. We have a membership of about 35 people, and we have a lot of people who are not members attend. Everybody is welcome.”

Ament said the Ginger Hill congregation tries to have members of different religions as guest speakers.

“It varies. It’s not a set thing that we have a speaker once a month or once a quarter,” said Ament.

Perner said, “This past winter we had a group of monks from the Shartse Temple monastery in India. They are exiled Tibetan monks.”

Perner said the rabbi’s visit coincides with Ginger Hill’s observance of its 10th anniversary.

“This year is the 10-year anniversary of being founded as a congregation,” said Perner. “It dovetails nicely with the anniversary celebration whose theme is ‘Roots and Wings.’”

Ament said, “We are very excited. We have been in existence here since 2003. It’s the 10th anniversary year of having enough members to be acknowledged by the Unitarian Universalist Association.”