Jewish students to celebrate Rosh Hashanah at Hillel

Sunset marks the start of the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah. Services and traditional meals are being arranged tonight by the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center for Jewish to aid students in observing the holiday.\nThe Hillel Center is providing several opportunities for Jewish students to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. At 5:30 p.m., Hillel will hold a Rosh Hashanah dinner at their center building as well as in McNutt Quad. \nFree shuttle services will be provided from the residence halls and the Hillel Center to St. Paul Catholic Church, 1413 E. 17th St., which will be used as a synagogue for the reform service at 7 p.m. and conservative service at 8:30 p.m.\nRosh Hashanah means "head of the year" or "first of the year" in Hebrew, and is commonly known as the Jewish New Year. Like the American New Year, Rosh Hashanah "is a time to begin introspection, looking back at the mistakes of the past year and planning the changes to make in the new year."\nJessie Mallor, director of Jewish student life at the Hillel Center, said Rosh Hashanah is a time to look at ways a person can improve their life, which is how she plans to spend the holiday.\n"I take time to sit down and look at what areas in my life I need to improve," she said. "It's a quiet time where I can see if I'm happy where I am, what I'm doing, with what's going on in my life."\nThe period of reflection on the year's mistakes and repentance, marked by the ten days starting with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur, is also known as the Days of Awe.\nMallor explained that at a traditional Rosh Hashanah service, a shofar, a ram's horn that is similar to a trumpet, is blown to serve as a "wake-up call" to remind Jews they have the power to change and be a better person. Mallor said apples and honey are foods traditionally served for the holiday, which represent a sweet new year.\nSophomore Mai Gan, who normally goes to temple with her family when at home, is taking advantage of the Hillel events today.\n"My friend and I will go to the Hillel Center or one of the Hillel-sponsored events," Gan said.\nMallor also said having the ability to observe religious holidays while away at college is important for students, especially freshmen.\n"The Hillel Center tries to provide a home-like atmosphere for the Jewish student community," she said. "Your first year on a huge campus, it's important for people to be able to have access to religious services that they're accustomed to at home."\nBeing involved with the community is also a reason why it's important to continue observing religious holidays, Mallor said.\n"It's important to be part of a larger community, a larger self, to have the ability to become a better person," she said.\nAlthough no work is permitted on Rosh Hashanah, sophomore Bill Gevirtz said he will still be attending class. \n"I'm not skipping class, but I am going to the synagogue at St. Paul's like last year," Gevirtz said.\nFor more information on Rosh Hashana services and meals, visit the IU Hillel Center Web site at www.indiana.edu/~hillel.\n-- Contact staff writer Ashley Lough at amlough@indiana.edu.