Buffalo Grove students usher in High Holy Days

The customary sounding of a hollowed-out ram's horn, or shofar, ushers in the Jewish High Holy Days, which begin Wednesday evening with Rosh Hashana.

Rosh Hashana marks the first day of the Jewish new year — year 5774 — and the beginning of the seventh month, Tishrei, of the Jewish lunar calendar. The day is believed to be the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve.

Last Friday, students at Jacob Duman JCC in Buffalo Grove welcomed the Sabbath and the coming of the High Holy Days with traditional Hebrew songs and by learning about Rosh Hashana customs, such as eating challah bread, drinking wine out of a kiddush cup, and the sounding of the shofar.

To greet someone on Rosh Hashana say “Shanah Tovah,” which in Hebrew means “have a good year.”