Rockville Centre neighbors celebrate the Jewish new year

As Jews prepare for the High Holy Days, the 10-day period that starts with Rosh Hashana (Hebrew for “beginning” and “year”) and ends with Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, they evaluate their lives and actions and contemplate the meaning of life. According to traditional Judaism, it is the time when divine judgment is made and rendered. It is also a period of hope and joy for the new year, 5772 on the Jewish calendar, that will be ushered in on the evening of Sept. 28.

In many ways the Jewish holidays reflect our modern lives. They fall at the time of year when school begins, committees reconvene and families return to busy schedules. A holiday meal will typically start with the recitation of Kiddush over a cup of wine or grape juice. Traditional foods for Rosh Hashanah include apples dipped in honey to symbolize a sweet new year, and a circular challah bread to symbolize a well-rounded year.

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are celebrated in much the same way in Jewish communities throughout the world. The shofar, a ram’s horn, is sounded during synagogue services to alert listeners to the coming judgment.

“L’shanah tovah tikatevu,” “May you be inscribed for a good year,” is the greeting among worshipers around the globe.

Jay Post, the owner of Happy Hostess, a family-owned business on Sunrise Highway that specializes in prepared non-kosher foods, says that Rosh Hashanah is one of his biggest days. Poultry — turkey, stuffed Cornish hens, duck and roasted chicken — as well as brisket — are among his biggest sellers. So are matzo balls — Post says that he will sell approximately 5,000 of them — along with chicken soup that his business was noted for shipping across the country.

“Everybody’s thinking about other things, “ he said of the increasing number of last-minute orders that he and his staff accommodate up to the first day of Rosh Hashanah. More healthful choices, with lower fat and salt, are other trends he said he has noticed of late.

“It’s all about tradition and family,” said Post, who is joined at the store by his wife, Roberta, and their grown son and daughters during the busy holiday season. “That’s how I grew up,” he said, “I couldn’t wait for the holidays.”