Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year.
Rosh Hashanah
The Latest
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News In Boston, the pandemic helps open High Holidays to the unaffiliated
In less than two weeks, the High Holidays will arrive in the midst of this unprecedented pandemic. While it may be a challenge to engage worshippers, it’s not impossible. This past month, clergy across Judaism’s denominations shared their thoughts on recreating a High Holiday experience without people in the pews. All were confident about conveying…
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News Orthodox rabbis say High Holiday services should proceed as usual — despite coronavirus
The leading Orthodox advocacy and religious authority has released a rabbinical decree ahead of the High Holidays that contains no mention of masks or social distancing, in contrast to the organization’s previous statement, which called on congregations to be careful at large gatherings. The decree, or Kol Korei, was written by a group of 15…
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Community This Rosh Hashanah is for ‘Bad Jews’
What does it mean to be a “Bad Jew?” Ask this to a Jewish community and you’ll get lots of answers –– more likely as confessions than accusations. In any Jewish community, I’ve found people have leaped at the opportunity to blame themselves: they will tell you, over and over, that they’re “Bad Jews”: that…
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Food Rosh Hashanah cooking during COVID — recipes & advice from food pros
The High Holidays herald new beginnings, ushered in on a wave of familiar rituals. We gather around fragrant tables laden with a combination of traditional and new foods. We recite blessings over candles, wine, and bread, and say one for a sweet New Year. We pass the challah and the honey. We celebrate, we pray,…
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Yiddish World WATCH: A Rosh Hashanah treat – ginger candy and honey balls
Jews make teiglach, small knots of dough boiled in honey, to wish each other a sweet new year
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Life 7 Jewish lifestyle luminaries advise: How to set up your space for praying, hosting
High Holidays at home — it’s not an easy prospect. Small suppers are replacing extended family gatherings. The blasts of the shofar are sounding at a distance. For many Conservative and Reform Jews, the most important services of the year will take place in the living room. Whether you open your house to the hordes…
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Life Consider the seder: a pandemic-proof, traditional way to celebrate Rosh Hashanah
Looking for a pandemic-proof way to celebrate the New Year? Consider the seder — It’s not just for Passover. Of course, many Askhenazi Jews associate seders primarily with the exodus from Egypt. But Rosh Hashanah has its own long tradition of ritual meals. First mentioned in the Talmud, the Rosh Hashanah seder evolved over centuries…
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Life How to get the most out of virtual High Holiday services
If you’re planning to attend High Holiday services virtually, like thousands of American Jews, welcoming the new year might seem easier than ever before. There’s no need to wriggle into pantyhose, find parking, or put up with your in-laws at dinner. In fact, all you need to do is roll out of bed, turn on…
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