Overview
- Jewish communities worldwide began observing Rosh Hashaná 5787 at sunset on Friday, Sept. 11, with the holiday running through the evening of Sunday, Sept. 13.
- The timing follows the Hebrew lunisolar calendar, which ties months to lunar cycles and uses periodic adjustments called intercalation to keep festivals aligned with the solar year.
- Central practices during the two days include synagogue services and the sounding of the shofar, which calls worshippers to reflection and repentance.
- Families mark the holiday with symbolic foods such as apples dipped in honey and round challah, and exchange traditional greetings like “Shaná Tová” and “Shaná Tová Umetuká.”
- The festival begins the Yamim Noraim, the Ten Days of Repentance that lead to Yom Kipur on Sept. 20–21, a stretch that shapes communal rhythms, synagogue attendance and private acts of reconciliation.