Rosh Hashanah!

Tonight's homework was to research Rosh Hashanah. Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish new year, but it is not like New Year's in January. Rosh Hashanah is an important Jewish religious holiday.

This year, Rosh Hashanah starts at sundown tonight, September 4, and ends at sundown on Friday, September 6. The Jewish year is 5774. Wow! That's a lot of years!

One of the things Jewish people do on Rosh Hashanah is to think about the things they did wrong in the past year, and plan to do better things this year.

Synagogues blow a ram's horn, called a shofar, on rosh hashanah.

People are not supposed to work on Rosh Hashanah, but they should go to temple. Does this work also mean school? If I were Jewish, would this mean I stay home?

Jewish people sometimes eat apples with honey to wish for a sweet new year. I like the apple part, but the honey sounds like it doesn't go with apples. I think the eating apples for a sweet year is cool.

I don't think people fast for Rosh Hashanah. It seems like they save that for Yom Kippur, which is the next Jewish holiday. I told my mom I was glad we aren't Jewish or Muslim because I don't like this idea of fasting. She told me that Catholics are supposed to fast on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and when the Pope says so. Good Grief! How come we can't be religious without starving?

L'shanah Tovah, folks! My old teacher Mrs. Grossman is Jewish and I used to say that to her! I miss Mrs. Grossman. She moved to Colorado to do yoga and teach kids who aren't me. :-(

(My information about Rosh Hashanah came from Judaism 101.
http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday2.htm)