submitted by dames@augsburg.edu
The Jewish High Holy Day season runs for the entire lunar month of Tishrei, this year it is from Sunday evening, September 29-Tuesday October 30. Following Yom Kippur is 9-day holiday called Sukkot. It is a big harvest celebration.
For college students, being away from home for these holidays can highlight the homesickness and the yearning to be in the nest, and for some, quite the opposite. All synagogues and the University of Minnesota Hillel will welcome students and Augsburg Hillel can help connect them.
There is a wide swath of Jewish observance among Augsburg students, faculty and staff. Some adhere closely to the traditions, so they don’t write or use electricity on these major holidays. Others have very secular experiences, don’t celebrate these at all, or focus mostly on the feasting, not the religious and spiritual aspects of these holidays.
The appropriate greeting for this season is, “Sha-NAH to-VAH”. meaning Happy New Year.
You are encouraged to have conversations with your Jewish students and colleagues about their observances. The Jewish students may or may not self-identify, so you may want to invite any Jewish students/faculty to talk with you about what this next month is for them, vis a vis classes. You could also move important meetings or events away from Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur.
The 2019 dates for these holidays are:
Sunday, September 29, Rosh Hashannah begins at sundown.
Monday, September 30 is the first day of Rosh Hashannah. Some American Jews celebrate for one day, others for two (we can discuss the lunar calendar another time).
Tuesday, October 1 is the second day of Rosh Hashannah for some Jews.
Tuesday, October 8, Yom Kippur begins an hour before sundown. Yom Kippur ends around 7:30pm Wednesday, October 9.
Sunday, October 13, Sukkot begins at sundown, and the first two days are “Holy Days”. Sukkot ends at sundown on either on October 18 or 20 depending on personal observance.