Orthodox Jews gathered in Uman to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, at the tomb of a rabbi who preached his vision of a joy-filled life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
The shofar is a hallmark of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. The pandemic means there will be more and smaller prayer gatherings this year, so some cities have offered free shofar-blowing courses.
Matzo ball soup is a classic straight from Eastern Europe. But not all Jews from the region came to the New World via Ellis Island, as this jalapeño-inflected recipe reflects.
In symbolic hope for a sweet new year, many Jews will mark the start of Rosh Hashanah with honey cake. The cake is sentimental, but not always beloved. Here, a delectable update to the ancient recipe.
Gefilte fish can be a hard sell even in its standard savory form. But some European Jews like it sweet, a preference that, surprisingly, overlaps exactly with a geographic and linguistic divide.
Making challah for the Jewish New Year lets the baker take a moment to reflect on life's blessings. The bread can be shaped into the traditional round, or a lion or bird to echo Bible verses.