Jewish New Year Begins at Sundown

By Chris Jennewein

The Jewish new year celebration, known as Rosh Hashanah, begins at sundown with services at area congregations, including San Clemente.

Rosh Hashanah means lliterally "head of the year" in Hebrew. It marks the beginning of a 10-day period of prayer, self-examination, and repentance ending with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. This year is 5774 in the Jewish calendar.

The Chabad Jewish Center of San Clemente will have services at the following times:

• First Evening, Wednesday: Evening service, 7:30
• First Day, Thursday:  Shacharit (morning service): 9:30 a.m;. Shofar sounding, noon; Tashlich service, following community lunch (at North Beach); evening services, 7:50
• Second Day, Friday: Shacharit (morning service), 9:30; Shofar sounding, noon 

Customs observed on Rosh Hashanah include sounding the shofar, a musical instrument made from a ram's horn, and eating sweet foods for a sweet new year.

Many congregations celebrate one day of Rosh Hashanah, while others observe two days, such as San Clemente's community.

One practice associated with Rosh Hashanah is Tashlich, a ceremony in which Jews symbolically cast away their sins by tossing pieces of bread into a body of water.