3 minute read
Rosh Hashanah Is Right on Time
Charlotte Jewish News August 2021
By Aileen Greenberg-Kriner
“Ready for Rosh Hashanah?” “Not at all! It’s so early this year! The first night is on Labor Day!”
“ I know. I can believe it’s so early!”
Is Rosh Hashanah really early? I guess it can be considered early or late on our “regular” Gregorian calendar, but actually,
it’s always right on time on the Hebrew calendar - neither early nor late. Rosh Hashanah (“head of the year”) is the first of the Jewish High Holidays and is always on the first day of Tishrei, the seventh month of the Hebrew year. Get ready to blow the shofar - on time!
Rosh Hashanah is a holiday filled with tradition, including
the “It’s so early this year!/It’s so late!” conversations. I remember going to my grandparents’ house before Rosh Hashanah and running upstairs to see the fish swimming in the bathtub. Those carp and pike soon became our holiday gefilte fish, though I never saw the transformation. When I was in school, my mother always took my sisters and
me shopping for a new outfit for Rosh Hashanah. Other children shopped for back-to-school clothes, but I grew up with new clothes for the holidays. As an adult, I learned how to make challah from the rebbitzin (rabbi’s wife) at our synagogue. The round, honey-vanilla challah has become one of my family’s traditions for Rosh Hashanah.
Most people have apples and honey to symbolize a sweet start for the New Year. This year, you can start New Year 5782 with honey from Hadassah. Order Hello Honey on the Charlotte Hadassah website (www.hadassahCLTevents.org) by August 18. An 8 oz. bottle is $10, and a 16 oz. bottle is $18. The honey will be ready for porch pickup at a home near you from August 23 to 25. We can also make arrangements for delivery or early pickup.
Hello Honey is locally owned by Laura and Kevin, a North Carolina-certified beekeeping couple. Their apiary (where the beehives are kept) is located just outside of uptown Charlotte.
Enjoy the honey with apples at your Rosh Hashanah meal or in your honey cake and tea, or send it to your college students. Help your family and friends begin the New Year on a sweet note. Contact Laurie at laushein@gmail. com or at (704) 763-4227 if you have questions.
Hadassah Charlotte wishes everyone a happy, sweet, and healthy New Year 5782! L’shanah tovah tikateivu v’tichateimu. May you have a good year, and may you be inscribed and sealed for blessing in the Book of Life.
In other Hadassah news…
Love shopping? Ready to clear out space for new treasures? Get ready to donate, shop, and support the Hadassah Accessory Boutique! Start collecting your new or gently used purses, scarves, belts, jewelry, and other accessories for our pop-up event in October. All proceeds will support Hadassah’s 360 Campaign, which benefits Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem at Ein Kerem. Refer to our website for donation drop-off locations and other details. Contact Anik at Anik@harrison.net if you have questions.
The Short Stories Discussion Group is off for the summer. It will return on September 17, which will be the last meeting via Zoom. It will meet at Temple Israel beginning on October 15. The next story selection will be published in the September CJN. You can also email Amalia Warshenbrot at AmaliaIma@ATT.net for more information.
Hadassah Charlotte’s “keeper of the cards,” Nancy Kerstein, sends beautiful Hadassah cards for births, illness, sympathy, and other life events. If you would like to send your family or loved one a personalized card, please email Nancy at randee3763@ gmail.com.
The next Hadassah Charlotte Board meeting will be on Monday, August 16 at 7 pm via Zoom. All members are invited. Please contact Marci at marcig333@gmail.com if you need the Zoom link.
Hadassah members live our motto - “The Power of Women Who Do” - and have fun while doing important work. Come join us! Contact Karen at klh2603@ gmail.com for membership information.
For the most up-to-date Hadassah information, please check our website (HadassahCLTevents.org), like our Facebook page (Hadassah CLT), follow us on Instagram (Hadassah Charlotte) or Twitter (@Hadassah- CLT), or send us an email at HadassahCLT@gmail.com.