The Jewish community celebrated the last day of Rosh Hashanah Tuesday, Sept. 12. The two-day celebration marks the beginning of the year for the Jewish calendar and is part of The Ten Days of Repentance, which are the first ten days of the Hebrew month Tishrei. These ten days mark new beginnings for the Jewish community, and the Ten Days of Repentance end with Yom Kippur.

“Rosh Hashanah is like New Year’s, it’s an important and exciting celebration,” Jessica Starkey, WCHS anchor and reporter, said.

The celebration is about reflecting on the past year. Friends and families come together to celebrate the new year and keep Jewish traditions alive. Eating apples and honey is a common tradition during the holiday.

“Apples and honey are meant to symbolize the year to come,” Tom Pressman, member of the B’nai Shalom congregation in Huntington, said. “We are looking forward to a year of sweetness.”

Jewish families within the community have celebrated many traditions over generations. Pressman said members and families of the Huntington congregation are from Eastern Europe, Russia and Poland. Each of these regions have special dishes and traditions still used while celebrating Rosh Hashanah.

While the holiday is compared to the traditional new year, those celebrating Rosh Hashanah do not celebrate New Year’s resolutions.

“This is a time to ask for God’s forgiveness,” Pressman said. “Address friends and acquaintances and square things away with fellow man. Focusing on how God instructs us to be during this time is important.”

Pressman said the Jewish congregation, made up of around 120 members and families, has support within the Huntington community. He said the city is welcoming, and the Jewish synagogue has received important recognition from the city of Huntington and the Marshall University community.

Rachel Riddle can be contacted at [email protected].