By LOIS K. SOLOMON Sun Sentinel

Can they resist hiding their BlackBerrys under their prayer books? Can they thwart the urge to take a "bathroom break" during services when they feel compelled to check a new text?

A national campaign is urging Jews, and all Americans, to make Yom Kippur, Sept. 18, "No-Device Day," a time to take a break from technology and reconnect with family and community the old-fashioned way: by talking face to face.

The Jewish High Holy Days begin at sundown today with Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, and end on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. During this 10-day period of introspection, Jews repent for the sins of the past year and ask God to grant them another year of life and health.

Many Jews who do not observe other holidays go to synagogue for the High Holy Days and fast on Yom Kippur. Very observant Jews refrain from using electricity or cars or doing work on these days as they do on Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath.

Similarly, rabbis see use of cell phones and other gadgets as breaking the holidays' mindset, in which the focus should be Jews' relationship with God and their fellow human beings.

"It's breaking the law of the day and the spirit of the day," said Rabbi Moshe Denburg of Chabad of Boca Raton. "You want to do things that enhance the day, and being attached to a gadget violates that spirit."

Throughout the year, leaders of many faiths say, mobile devices interfere with religious ceremonies from bar mitzvahs to funerals, even though they tell those in attendance to turn them off.

"It's an ongoing source of tension," said Rabbi Paul Plotkin of Temple Beth Am of Margate. "There are differences in etiquette from synagogue to synagogue. And there are people who have attitudes. They're rude when you ask them to be respectful."

At a Reform Jewish congregation, it might be acceptable to use a cell phone in the lobby during Sabbath services, Plotkin said, but not at his Conservative synagogue. This could prove confusing to guests unfamiliar with the customs of different Jewish denominations, he said.

Karyn Rosenberg Hoffman, a psychotherapist in Boca Raton, puts her smart phone on "silent" during High Holy Day services. She said she has to be available if a patient has an emergency.

"It would be nice to completely detach, and if it weren't for my work, I probably would," she said. "It would be a true letting-go and a relief."

Eliana Goodman, a Florida Atlantic University student, said she also stays connected during the holidays.

"My life does not stop," said Goodman, 21, a sophomore pre-med major who grew up in an Orthodox home in Hollywood. "I have to go to school. When I didn't go to school for a Jewish holiday in the past, my grades dropped."

Although rabbis emphasize the spiritual benefits of tuning out, scientists have begun researching the importance of turn-off time for the brain.

University of Michigan researchers found that when rats took a break from their explorations, they processed what they had learned into their long-term memories. Constant stimulation prevented them from imprinting what they had learned.

Harold Gubnitsky, a father of three from Southwest Ranches, said he turns off his smart phone for High Holy Day services but turns it back on when he gets home. He said his workplace knows he is observing a holiday and minimizes contact, but he wants to be available if his daughter calls from college.

"My personal exception is my family; I let work stuff go," said Gubnitsky, 47, president of Temple Beth Emet in Cooper City. "When we come home from services, the kids could be watching TV or socializing with friends. I don't have too much of a problem with that."

Although synagogues emphasize turning off electronics for the High Holy Days, Richard Staller, a Delray Beach dentist, said many make use of the latest technology for their services, including big-screen televisions for people sitting far from the pulpit.

"It bothers me a lot," said Staller, 56. "It makes it so impersonal. I could stay home and watch a pay-per-view service instead."

Pinky Tuscedaro needs to lay off the Dippity Doo.

That is one long article