Jewish students and community members at CU are preparing for Friday’s celebration of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
The ancient holiday marks the beginning of the year 5767 on the Jewish calendar and is a celebration of transition and renewal, said Rabbi Adam Naftalin-Kelman, director of Hillel, the Jewish student group at CU.
Naftalin-Kelman said the holiday has both religious and cultural aspects, and Hillel organizers hope to accommodate everyone.
“People can come to a meal and not services, but some come to services and not a meal,” he said.
In the UMC last Wednesday, he offered apples and honey to entice students to a table where they could get information about Rosh Hashanah.
“There’s a tradition of having things that are round,” Naftalin-Kelman explained, saying that pomegranates, round bread, apples and honey are common items associated with the holiday. He said people will also wear new clothes to reflect the transition to a new year.
Junior psychology major Inbar Hanouna said Rosh Hashanah is a family-oriented holiday where people come together to celebrate.
“It’s really a time to look forward to,” Hanouna said.
Many students whose familes are out of state can’t get home on the holiday and instead celebrate with friends or at the campus events hosted by Hillel, said Jaclyn Gottlieb, a sophomore French major who said she’ll be one of the out-of-state students in attendance.
Hanouna said some Colorado families of girls in her sorority, the Jewish-interest sorority Sigma Rho Lambda, are opening up their homes to any Jewish girl from out of state who wants to celebrate the holiday in a family setting.
Hanouna said she will be with her own family in Denver.
Services hosted by Hillel begin on Friday and will be held at 6:30 p.m. at Old Main. A dinner will follow at 7:30 p.m. at the Hillel house on Colorado Avenue. More services and events continue throughout the weekend.
