As the sun set at 6:33 p.m. on Wednesday, local Jewish communities welcomed Rosh Hashana, a two-day celebration that combines celebration with reflection and marks the start of the Jewish New Year.

Here’s what you need to know about this holiday.

What is Rosh Hashanah?

According to Britannica, Rosh Hashanah begins on the first day of Tishri, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. The High Holy Days mark the beginning of a ten-day period of reflection on one’s relationship with God, culminating in Yom Kippur, the second High Holiday.

“It’s very festive. We thank God for nature. We thank God for our lives. We thank God for the extension for another year,” said Rabbi Niles Goldstein of Napa’s Congregation Beth Shalom. “But we also examine our lives from the past year, acknowledge our mistakes and commit to becoming better people in the coming year.”

Although the Torah, Judaism’s founding religious text, does not explicitly mention Rosh Hashanah, it does refer to a sacred event that took place around the same time. The holiday was likely established before the sixth century, but the phrase “Rosh Hashana” first appears in the Mishnah, a Jewish code of law written in 200 AD, according to History Channel.

This year, the High Holiday falls close to the one-year anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks that killed around 1,200 people and captured 250 hostages in southern Israel.

Israel launched an intense military offensive after the attack that killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

Rabbi Irwin Keller of Congregation Ner Shalom in Cotati said that in light of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, the Jewish people must focus even more on looking inward.

“(Rosh Hashanah) is the beginning of what we call the 10 days of repentance. It is a time of introspection, a time to examine our actions and our obligations. I suspect that many Jews will do so with particular severity and pain this year,” Keller said.

“In these times it is important for Jews to come together in community. We have a ritual built around difficult moments, and it’s something we can lean on.

Goldstein said he will “integrate prayers, practices and symbols to commemorate what happened a year ago and what continues to unfold in Gaza and Israel and now throughout the Middle East.”

One of these practices is reserving a seat for hostages who have not yet been released.

When is Rosh Hashanah?

This year, the celebration begins at sunset on Wednesday, or 6:33 p.m., and continues through nightfall on Friday.

How to celebrate

Rosh Hashanah is marked by events such as services in synagogues, meals of traditional dishes and the lighting of candles.

Playing the shofar, a trumpet made from a ram’s horn, is an essential part of the festival. The shofar is blown after the reading of the three sets of prayers during the musaf, or supplementary service, in the synagogue.

About 100 blows of the shofar would be heard over the course of the holiday.

After religious services, many people gather for traditional meals. The menu could include bread — traditionally round challah loaves — dipped in honey, in hopes of a sweet year ahead, and apple slices in honey for the first night, according to Chabad.org.

Jewish people typically greet each other on Rosh Hashanah with the Hebrew phrase “L’shana tovah,” or “for a good year.”

Where to Celebrate in Sonoma, Napa Counties

There are multiple locations where locals can gather for Rosh Hashana services and festivities, including:

Sonoma County:

• Joseph Weingarten Chabad Jewish Center at 2461 Summerfield Road, Santa Rosa
• Congregation Shomrei Torah at 2600 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa
• Congregation Beth Ami at 4676 Mayette Ave., Santa Rosa
• Congregation Ner Shalom at La Plaza 85, Cotati
• Chabad Jewish Center of Petaluma at 205 Keller St., #101, Petaluma
• Congregation Shir Shalom at 252 W. Spain St., Sonoma
• B’nai Israel Jewish Center at 740 Western Ave., Petaluma

Napa County:

• Congregation Beth Shalom at 1455 Elm St., Napa

You can reach staff writer Madison Smalstig at [email protected]. On X (Twitter) @madi.smals.