Rosh Hashanah signals start of High Holy Days

Friday, Sept. 29, 2000 | 10:56 a.m.

Five-year-old Kaeli Wells trumpeted a ram's horn Tuesday as her schoolmates dipped apple slices in honey.

Rosh Hashanah cards hung above boxes of toys and hand-crafted honey dishes to be taken home were stacked on the teacher's desk.

The students at Congregation Ner Tamid's kindergarten and preschool classes have been preparing since Monday for the high Holy Days, which begin today at sundown with Rosh Hashanah.

The Jewish New Year, 5761, begins 10 days of introspection and repentance that culminates on Yom Kippur.

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are two of the most sacred holidays in Judaism, said Rabbi Sanford Akselrad of Congregation Ner Tamid.

It is believed that on Rosh Hashanah, God records the destiny of all mankind in the Book of Life. The book is closed and sealed on Yom Kippur.

"This is a time of looking into yourself and asking what can I do to be a better person," Lois Bergman, preschool and kindergarten director at Congregation Ner Tamid, said.

Jews throughout the world, including more than 75,000 Jews in Southern Nevada, celebrate the High Holy Days. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is recognized as the most solemn day of the year. During the 24 hours, Jews fast, confess their sins and ask for forgiveness.

The shofar, a ram's horn, is blown on Rosh Hashanah and at the end of the day on Yom Kippur to close the observation. But because Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat this year -- a time from Friday evening to Saturday evening when Jews refrain from physical labor -- the horn will not be blown until Sunday.

In addition to dipping apples in honey, which promotes a sweet new year, Challah, an egg bread that symbolizes the cycle life, is made. Pomegranates and honey bread are eaten.

Children seated in the three long tables in the school's library hold hands and sing a series of songs in Hebrew, including "L' Shana Tora," which means "May our name be inscribed in the book of life."