Welcome to the OU Women’s Initiative community! As we approach the meaningful days of Rosh Hashanah, we invite you to join us in deepening our understanding and connection to this sacred time. Let’s learn, reflect, and grow together.

We are quickly approaching the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, which is believed to be a day of judgement before G-d. This day combines, prayer and self-introspection with hope and anticipation for the year to come.

Rosh Hashanah this year begins at sundown on Wednesday October 2nd and concludes with the beginning of Shabbat at sundown on Friday, October 4th. At this point Shabbat Shuva (the sabbath of repentance and return to G-d between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) begins and concludes at nightfall on Saturday October 5th. This year, Rosh Hashanah will begin the year 5785 on the Jewish calendar.

The key elements of Rosh Hashanah include the prayer service, dipping apples in honey in addition to other symbolic foods eaten to represent wishes and prayers for the year to come, and the blowing of the Shofar (an instrument created from a Ram’s horn). See below for graphics explaining the symbolism behind the “Simanim”- symbolic foods, and intentions to focus on when listening to the Shofar.

For more Torah learning and leadership initiatives from the OU Women’s Initiative, we invite you to explore the rest of our site.

For further information on Rosh Hashanah from the OU, click here.