On Rosh Hashanah, the “head of the year” in Hebrew, Jewish students celebrate the beginning of Jewish Year 5783
By Courtney Cohn
Features Editor
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, starts tonight. For many people, it is a time to reflect on their past year and craft resolutions for the coming year.
Journalism major Shira Kramer is looking forward to finding her place this year at this university.
“As a freshman, I’m really looking forward to joining the UMD community and just making a mark for myself here,” Shira Kramer said.
Iara Rattner, a freshman general biology major, also wants to continue to adapt to college life and reflect on her first month at this university.
“Having started college, I’m really trying to figure out a good work-life balance because it’s definitely something that’s new to me,” Rattner said.
Abby Russ, a senior journalism and economics major, strives to cherish her last remaining year in college.
“Something that I really want to work on is making sure that I’m living in the moment more,” Russ said. “I want to make sure that I am spending time with my friends and going on new adventures with them while we’re all still on campus before we graduate.”
Russ wants to have a good job lined up by the time she graduates, and hopes reflecting on this goal can help her achieve it.
Others, like Noah Kaner, a junior government and politics major, are focusing their new year’s resolutions on growing as a person and strengthening relationships with others.
“I need to show more unconditional love to people,” Noah Kaner said. “I try to keep it altruistic, not even for my interest, just trying to be that guy that’s radiating positivity.”
Kaner enjoys Rosh Hashanah because of the focus on introspection. Yom Kippur, the next holiday in the High Holidays, has a focus on self-reflection and introspection, but many use Rosh Hashanah as a way to start that thought process and mindset.
In addition, many use Rosh Hashanah as a time to reunite with their extended family.
“I love Rosh Hashanah because to me, it means spending time with my family,” Kramer said. “All my cousins are coming in, and I’m very excited to just see everyone and be together.”
Russ is also really looking forward to sitting around the dinner table with her loved ones.
“My family lives all across the East Coast, so we’re all meeting in North Carolina to spend the holiday together,” Russ said. “I am really excited for us to all have a meal together because we haven’t done it since last December.”
Rattner is also excited to be with family from out of town to “start the new year” together.
The Hebrew Year 5783 starts on Sunday, which signifies how many years it has been since 3761 BCE, the start of the Hebrew calendar. The holiday will be filled with apples and honey, family and friends, and hopeful resolutions for the new year.
