During the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Jewish students came together in Kingston, finding unity in their shared faith and traditions.
This year’s Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of year 5,785 for the Jewish people. Beginning at sundown on Oct. 2 and ending at nightfall on Oct. 4, observant students took part in several Jewish traditions with Hillel Queen’s and Chabad Kingston.
“Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, the Day of Atonement, when we let go of the past year, 5,784, and move forward into a new year, 5,785,” Phoebe Starnino, CompSci ’27, wrote in a statement to The Journal.
At Breakwater Park, students took part in Tashlich, an atonement ritual involving the symbolic act of throwing bread, representing sins, into a body of water, followed by meditation and stretching. Hillel hosted dinner and prayer on both Wednesday and Thursday night, with Starnino noting the space reached full capacity on both occasions as students gathered to celebrate the New Year. Chabad also offered dinner and prayer on these nights, providing additional opportunities for observance.
“The people at these dinners act as a family away from our families. When most people on campus don’t even know what Rosh Hashanah is, let alone when it is, it makes coming together with other Jewish students feel all the more meaningful and familial,” Starnino said.
The University offered apples and honey, a symbol of fruitfulness and a sweet year ahead at the Leonard, Ban Righ, and Jean Royce dining halls on Oct. 3.
According to Starnino, while antisemitism on campus is increasing, Jewish students have been able to find community in each other.
READ MORE: Antisemitic incident occurs outside Chabad
Starnino has found this past year to be the hardest as a Jewish Canadian, and says Jewish students are still feeling the pain and loss from year 5,784. She emphasized the importance of students being able to come together during religious holidays.
“Stepping into [year] 5,785, side by side with students who understand the difficulties of 5,784, brings hope, solidarity, and belief that this year can be better. Connecting with other Jewish students brings faith, community, and hope for the new year,” she said.
“At Queen’s, the Hillel house is truly my home away from home for all things Jewish culture. Of course, spending the High Holiday season in Kingston is far different from at home where I have my family and my synagogue, but Hillel and the Queen’s Jewish community come together to make it just as special,” Starnino said.
The Jewish calendar follows the cycles of the moon, with months beginning and ending at the time of a new moon, making the year shorter than the Gregorian calendar. To stay aligned with the seasons, leap months are occasionally added. Rosh Hashanah falls on the first day of Tishrei, the seventh month of the Jewish calendar which nears the end of the Gregorian calendar year.
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