Signs of Faith for the New Year : Religion: Temple Beth Solomon of the Deaf was founded 30 years ago in Arleta. It tailors its observances to the special needs of its members.

ARLETA —  Rosh Hashanah observances for deaf Jews are just somewhat different from services for the hearing. The noisy shofar, or ram’s horn, is still blown to commemorate the Jewish New Year and restless worshipers still kibbitz during the lengthy services--they just use their hands instead of their tongues.

The rituals are the same--only accompanied by a choir that virtually dances in sign language instead of sings and a signing interpreter who echoes the rabbi’s every spoken word. The rabbi, meanwhile, ends each prayer with a reverent, “And let us say, and sign, Amen.”

On Thursday, members of Temple Beth Solomon of the Deaf took part in another Rosh Hashanah tradition-- Tashlich , or tossing crumbs upon water to symbolize the casting off of sins.

After services, they took handfuls of crumbs from a cup held by a fellow worshiper, then walked a half block down the alley behind their small Arleta synagogue through a modern-day Gomorrah of barbed-wire fences, overgrown weeds and wildly barking dogs.

Bound for the nearby Los Angeles River, middle-age men and women linked arms with elderly parents, young children ran ahead, and a few physically infirm faithful steadied themselves on canes. On the riverbank, they leaned over metal guard rails and tossed their crumbs toward the distant water, regrets mingling with the murky sludge and souls cleansed for the coming year.

“L’shanah Tovah!” or “Happy New Year!” they greeted each other, some silently and some out loud.

Not everyone in the congregation is deaf, and even those who are deaf can hear and speak in varying degrees. So, for example, Bess Hyman recited her aliyah , or blessing, over the Torah as she also signed. Alvin Klugman performed the honor entirely with his hands.

The Torah reading dealt with the story of Abraham and Isaac, as it does every Rosh Hashanah. A common interpretation is that Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son at God’s command was evidence of his faith, and that God’s last-minute interruption of the slaying signified his benevolence.

Rabbi Miriam Biatch, Temple Solomon’s spiritual leader, likes to take a more liberal view that God guided Abraham to stop himself from killing Isaac and that the aborted human sacrifice represented a triumph of morality.

Morality was the theme of Biatch’s sermon Thursday, as it probably was from countless other pulpits. Citing the Mideast peace agreement and a recent incident in New York in which a Hassidic rabbi saved the life of a young black woman, she urged some 140 worshipers to find the courage to act on their convictions and set an example for the rest of the world.

She also seemed to speak with her special congregation in mind when she said, “Do you realize how courageous each one of you is?”

Biatch and others said that maintaining a separate congregation for the deaf was important because most synagogues do not have interpreters and their rapid-fire Hebrew chanting doesn’t lend itself to following in sign language.

“As a result, people who are profoundly deaf miss out on the services,” said David Balkan of Encino, who joined the congregation because of his 11-year-old son, Jeremy, who was born without hearing.

Being deaf “is a very isolating disability,” continued Balkan, who attended services there Thursday with Jeremy and his 10-year-old daughter, Ashley.

“Not to minimize other disabilities, but when you’re deaf, you really miss out on communicating--and communication is how you see the world and the world sees you.”

Jeremy is among eight religious school students at Temple Solomon, who are receiving special instruction in Hebrew as well Jewish history and customs. The congregation, founded 30 years ago, includes 125 families.

“This is really also a place to feel at home,” said Balkan.