Jewish Yalies are reflecting on the new year and planning to celebrate Rosh Hashanah with a mix of religious services and community gatherings.

Asher Boiskin

10:59 PM, October 1, 2024

Ben Raab, Contributing Photographer

As the sun sets this Wednesday, Jewish Yalies will celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and welcome the year 5785.

In addition to social gatherings, the Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale will offer religious services for Rosh Hashanah from October 2-4. Reform, Conservative and Orthodox denominations will each hold their own services, so students can participate in celebrating the holiday in a way that fits their traditions.

“Every Minyan has their own Gabaiim and they run the show,” says Noah Tirschwell ’26, president of Slifka Shabbat and Holidays. “The egalitarian (service) is bringing in a rabbi this year to help, in addition to their Gabiim who help put the service together, ask people to give Divrei Torah, and coordinate who will read Aliyot, and so on.”

Chabad at Yale University will also host Rosh Hashanah services and publicly blow the shofar, a ram’s horn used to mark the beginning of the Jewish new year, on both days of the holiday at Cross Campus.

Several denominations have hosted and will continue to host events in preparation for the holiday. The Slifka Reform Chavurah hosted caramel apple making on Tuesday, where students enjoyed both sweet treats and the opportunity to connect with each other in anticipation of Rosh Hashanah. Last Saturday, Jewish Yalies attended Selichot services, where they recited prayers and poems to spiritually prepare for the new year.

Observant Yalies will not attend classes during Rosh Hashanah.

Isabelle Kim-Sherman ’27, who is staying on campus for Rosh Hashanah, plans to attend the services but will travel home to New York the following week to celebrate with her family.

For students like Kim-Sherman who reside at Yale, the holidays provide an opportunity to gather with colleagues and professors alike. Some professors, like Kim-Sherman’s Yiddish professor, host meals with students to mark the occasion. Many students will enjoy traditional dishes such as apples dipped in honey and round challah, which symbolize the hope of a sweet New Year.

“It’s really fun to see so many different denominations celebrating Rosh Hashanah,” Kim-Sherman said. “Growing up, it was really just the people in my synagogue and the local community, and there wasn’t much variety. So it’s cool now to see all the different ways people are celebrating.

Elijah Wiesel ’28, who lives in New York City, returns home to spend the holidays with his family. However, he expressed concerns about Yale’s current schedule, which requires students to attend classes during the holidays. Wiesel believes the university should provide Jewish students with an easier way to notify professors of their holiday celebrations and suggests the school urge professors to schedule fewer tests and assignments during the holidays.

Jared Wyetzner ’27 shared similar concerns. He plans to visit their Yiddish professor with Kim-Sherman, but won’t have enough time to celebrate the holiday due to a midterm exam scheduled for Thursday evening.

“I might go to egalitarian services, but that depends on how much time I have studying,” Wyetzner wrote. “I feel like professors need to be more aware of the holidays (and that) Yale needs to be more aware of this.”

Yale University currently has one policy allowing students to request time off from class for religious observances.

Wyetzner and Wiesel also have the current Israel-Hamas conflict on their minds this Rosh Hashanah.

“This Rosh Hashanah will be different than any previous Rosh Hashanah in recent decades because of the October 7 attack,” Wiesel said. “With these high holidays approaching, with the exception of Yom Kippur, you should be happy. Personally, that has become less for me. I find it very difficult to feel really happy in the coming weeks.”

Fortunately, Wiesel believes participating in the Rosh Hashanah rituals and returning to New York City to see his family will bring him some joy.

Both Wiesel and Wyetzner expressed hope for the new year.

“I wish everyone would have a better understanding of the New Year,” Wyetzner wrote. “With what happened today with Iran, I hope that no matter how the situation escalates, we don’t turn it into a fight between people.”

Iran dismissed fired more than 180 ballistic missiles into Israel on Tuesday, and Israel has vowed to retaliate.

Yom Kippur, the next holiday on the Jewish calendar that focuses on reconciliation and reflection, takes place next week, from the evening of October 11 through October 12.