As the Jewish calendar fliped from year 5785 to 5786, families and friends alike gathered to celebrate the new year. Beginning Monday, Sept. 22, and ending Wednesday, Sept. 24, Rosh Hashanah is a time for reflection, prayer and hopes for the upcoming year.
Jewish Student Union Executive Board member Clara Lieberstein (’28) hosted a Rosh Hashanah dinner at her house this year for her extended family. Compared to the Gregorian new year on Jan. 1, Lieberstein said Rosh Hashanah comes at a more meaningful time. She said that the built-in reset that comes with Rosh Hashanah is very beneficial to her as a student.
“I think [Rosh Hashanah] comes at a sort of better time in the year, especially as students. We’re in the new school year, we’re setting goals and we’re trying to figure out who we are and how we’re going to reflect that in our school communities,” Lieberstein said. “New Year’s resolutions don’t really get followed up on, but I think Rosh Hashanah is more about continuing a cycle of love. The year continues, and so I think it’s more of a continuous effort to be good.”
History Department Chair Elana Goldbaum said that, for her, Rosh Hashanah is less about goal-setting and more about reflection. At her Rosh Hashanah dinner this year, she mainly focused on pondering the question: “How do I want to live?”
“We talked a lot about slowing down, and also trying to do our part for democracy,” Goldbaum said. “We had some readings about friendship and maintaining friendships that can be challenging as you get older. So I think slowing down, supporting democracy and maintaining relationships was a big part of what we talked about.”
Freshman Stella Saliman is a member of JSU. Beginning this new year in the Jewish calendar, Saliman said she wants to hone in on confronting challenges with a positive outlook.
“One of my hopes or goals for the Jewish new year is to maintain an organized and mindful environment,” Saliman said. “If I come to something challenging, I want to push myself to complete the challenge or meet it, and I don’t want to slack off or say I can’t do it.”
Lieberstein also said she likes how Judaism is unique in having two parts to the new year: the two High Holidays. She said having Rosh Hashanah as a day of celebration and then having Yom Kippur as a day of repentance ten days later encourages Jewish people to think deeply about their values.
“I think what really resonates with me is that we’re encouraged to both celebrate our community, our traditions and how far we’ve come in the year, as well as have a period of atonement and reflection,” Lieberstein said. “I think the combination of both those things is something we don’t really get [on] January 1.”
Goldbaum said she believes that although the practices embedded within Rosh Hashanah stay the same, the topics of reflection and the approaches are different each year.
“Maybe last year it was trying to leave work at work, and this year, it’s a lot about maintaining relationships and thinking about what’s in my control,” Goldbaum said. “How can I make a difference in small ways when there are a lot of things that maybe feel out of control?”
In the upcoming year, Lieberstein said she wants to work on embracing the beauty of the Jewish community during crisis-filled times.
“I think right now, the Jewish community is a little bit polarized due to the ongoing conflict,” Lieberstein said. “[I want to] recognize the diversity within Jewish opinions and the Los Angeles Jewish community and get together to celebrate more.”
