September 30, 2011

By Jaime Williams

Mizzou Hillel and the Jewish Students Organization are celebrating Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, this week. It is the Jewish year 5772.

Hillel Director Brian Mitchell said Rosh Hashanah marks the start of the high holy days, which end with Yom Kippur.

The celebration of the New Year began Wednesday with a free dinner hosted by Alpha Epsilon Pi, followed by a student-led service at 7:30 p.m.

“They host one big dinner with a lot of the Jewish students,” JSO President David Feldman said. “Of the 700 estimated Jewish students on campus we expect about 200 students at the dinner.”

JSO Vice President Jen Lask said everyone comes together for the dinner.

Services took place at Hillel on Thursday morning and evening. The last service is Friday at 9:30 a.m. A Tashilkh service was held Thursday afternoon in Peace Park.

Mitchell said Tashilkh is a service meant for participants to cast off their sins from the year before, symbolically throwing something, usually bread, into a flowing body of water.

Mitchell also said during Rosh Hashanah there is tradition of eating apples and honey, which signifies a sweet new year. Lask said that particular tradition is her favorite part of Rosh Hashanah.

“It’s just a really nice time to be with your family or with your friends,” Lask said.

Lask said Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the two most important holidays in Judaism because of their meaning.

“I think there are a lot of people who may not practice every week, but Rosh Hashanah is when a lot of people will celebrate because it’s such an important holiday,” Lask said.

Feldman said one of the purposes of Hillel is to give students an opportunity to continue practicing Judaism. He said the other purpose of Hillel is to help foster the Jewish community on campus and to give students a chance to make friends with other Jewish students.

Mitchell, who began as director this semester, said he wants to make Hillel more of a destination to liven the place up.

Lask said Hillel has a lot to offer in terms of meeting people and getting involved in Judaism. She said there are a lot of activities coming up, including movie nights and miniature golf, in addition to Shabbat, which is followed by a free dinner every Friday.

“For me personally, coming from a very Jewish community, it’s nice to go to Hillel because it gives me that sense of community I have at home,” Lask said.

Feldman said the Jewish community at MU is very tight-knit, and once students start coming to events and get to know everyone, it’s like one big family.

“Coming from Chicago, I’m not going to be able to spend every holiday with my family,” Lask said. “But Hillel gives students a home away from home as far as Judaism is concerned.”