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Today is the 304th day of the year in the commonly used Roman Lunar calendar, but for students of the Jewish faith it is day No. 1.
At the SIUC Hillel House on Elm Street, 15 students gathered for dinner Monday to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, commonly referred to as the Jewish New Year, a two-day holiday that begins at sundown. Rosh Hashanah is the first day of the Jewish month Tishrei, which Hillel director Joe Brown said is an intense time for Jews.
"Tishrei is just a month jam-packed with holidays," he said.
Brown said Rosh Hashanah is a joyous time for Jews and a time for people to prepare for a better year than the last. But within one week of Rosh Hashanah, Jews will spend the day fasting and in intense prayer asking God for the forgiveness of last year's sins. Brown said the day, Yom Kippur, is not as light-hearted as Rosh Hashanah.
But Monday night had a cause for celebration. Brown led the diners in Kiddish, a blessing of the wine, before a dinner of a noodles and potato dish called Kugel, honey barbeque chicken, Matzah Ball soup and plenty of apples.
Hillel Vice President Jon Clemons, a senior from Memphis, Tenn., studying information technology, said a Rosh Hashanah custom is to incorporate apples and honey into the meal as much as possible. He said dipping food in honey "sweetens" life, and an apple's circular shape symbolizes the circle of life.
As the dinner concluded, the group prepared itself for an evening service at the Congregation Beth Jacob Synagogue led by interim Chancellor Sam Goldman.
Brown said most of Hillel's regular attendees had gone home to celebrate the holiday with their families, but that was not the case for Igor Grichanik, a 26-year-old third-year law student originally from Brooklyn, NY.
Grichanik said the strong Jewish presence in Brooklyn would quiet neighborhoods Monday night because faithful business owners close their stores and restaurants to celebrate the New Year, but it should be even quieter during Yom Kippur.
Grichanik said this is the first Rosh Hashanah he has celebrated in a number of years, mainly because of the cultural differences between southern Illinois and the New York neighborhoods.
"People care more about values here than money like they do in New York," he said.
Brown said Monday night's dinner and service was the kick-off event for the two-day holiday. He said Beth Jacob Synagogue would host a 9:30 a.m. service today. A 10:30 a.m. Wednesday service will be held at the Hillel House for Jews interested in celebrating the holiday.
Barton Lorimor can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 263 or barton.lorimor@siude.com.
