1. Tishrei and the High Holidays
HOW THE JEWISH COMMUNITY CELEBRATES ITS BUSIEST TIME OF THE YEAR
“Reading from the Torah at the Western Wall” © 2007 Brian Jeffery Beggerly, used under a Creative Commons
(CC) Attri bution (2.5) licens e: http://w ww.flickr.com/photos/ 94509941@N00/ 417658110

2. The shofar, a ram’s horn, is a powerful and symbolic instrument used to motivate repentance
during Rosh ha-Shana (the new year commemorating God’s creation of the world). According to
University of Connecticut professor of Hebrew, History and Judaic Studies, Dr. Stuart S. Miller, it
is blown in the synagogue 100 times on each of the two days of Rosh ha-Shana. The shofar is not
an easy task, and takes skilled and experienced volunteers. (Photo by Michelle Golladay)

3. According to Miller, the theme of life and death that surround Rosh ha-Shana could easily turn
the holiday into two days of “morbidity,” but the rabbis encourage Jews to observe in a spirit of
optimism. Apples and honey are served at all Rosh ha-Shana meals, granting observers with a
“good and sweet” new year.
(Photo, [Translated from Hebrew text: “Happy New Year”] © 2008 RonAlmog used under a CC
Attribution license: http://www.flickr.com/photos/55288032@N00/2899442765)

4. It is a common misconception that Yom Kippur is a day of darkness or sorrow because it is a
fasting day, spent mostly in synagogues and known as the “Day of Atonement.” Yom Kippur is
actually regarded as a happy day because if observed properly, the Jew has made peace with
everyone they know, and with God. By the time the fast ends, according to Rabbi Joseph
Telushkin in his book “Jewish Literacy,” people feel a “deep sense of serenity” (300).
(Photo, “MishkanYoseph Synagogue” © 2011 Flavio used under a CC PhotoPin license:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37873897@N06/6221818763/ )

5. It was difficult to talk to members of the local Jewish community because during most Jewish
holidays (including the weekly Sabbath), no work is permitted. In more Orthodox practices,
driving a car and engaging in monetary transaction is forbidden, according to Miller. Rosh ha-
Shana, Yom Kippur and the Festival of Booths are no exceptions for taking the day off for
religious observance. (Photo by Michelle Golladay)

6. For Sukkot, the “Festival of Booths,” Jews traditionally built a “sukkah,” a temporarily large
dwelling large enough for a family to eat and live in for a week. It is a symbol of the “booths”
(tents) Jewish people lived in for 40 years wandering in the desert. Made of wood or canvas,
covered with plants and a semi-open roof for sky-dazing, most Jews do not make them
anymore. In Jerusalem, there are annual contests held by the municipality to find the most
beautiful “sukkah!”
(Photo © 2005 Pay No Mind, CC: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paynomind/68579605/ )

7. I will have to return to the Judaica Store in West Hartford when they finally return from Sukkot.
It began Sunday, September 30 and will end Sunday, October 7. (Photo by Michelle Golladay)