Thursday, September 9, 1988/The Battalion/Page 7
Rosh Hashana marks start
of Jewish High Holidays
By Rose Ann McFadden
Reporter
The Jewish High Holidays begin 8 p.m. Sunday. The
igh Holidays start with Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new
I'ear, and end 10 days later with Yom Kippur, the Day
" f Atonement.
Rabbi Peter Tarlow, of the Hillel Foundation, the
'exas A&M Jewish student organization, said Rosh Ha-
§hana and Yom Kippur are the two central holidays in
he Jewish year.
Although many calendars place Rosh Hashana on
londay, the holiday actually lasts from 8 p.m. Sunday
|o 8 p.m. Tuesday.
The Jewish day starts at sunset instead of dawn. So,
osh Hashana lasts only two days on the Jewish cal-
fcndar.
Rosh Hashana occupies the first two days of a period
balled “Aseret Y’Mei Ha’Teshuvah,” which means ten
Bays of repentance. The last day of this period is Yom
Kippur.
Tarlow said the 10 days allow Jews to make peace
with themselves, others and God.
“In Rosh Hashana, I look at myself,” he said. ’’It’s
making peace with yourself.”
I For seven days after Rosh Hashana, Tarlow said,
ews seek forgiveness from others.
I “If in any way I’ve hurt you,” he said, ”1 have to say
I’m sorry.”
j On the 10th day, Yom Kippur, Jews come to terms
[vith God, Tarlow said.
Debra Miller, a member of the Hillel Foundation,
:ompared these holidays to starting a new college se
mester.
“You have a feeling of happiness, like you’re starting
gain,” Miller said. “Maybe last year wasn’t as good as it
ould have been, but you have a new chance (with the
lew year).”
Miller said the High Holidays draw new people to the
illel Foundation.
“High Holiday seems to bring everyone together, not
nly the regular Hillel people but maybe the new stu-
ient who feels uncomfortable about coming,” Miller
aid.
“You have a feeling of happiness, like
you’re starting again. Maybe last year
wasn’t as good as it could have been, but
you have a new chance. ”
—Debra Miller
Jews observe many traditions during High Holidays,
Tarlow said.
He said the religious service on Sunday includes a se
ries of prayers in English and Hebrew, a time for pri
vate contemplation, and a sermon.
Another tradition is the blowing of the Shofar, a
ram’s horn, on Monday and Tuesday mornings.
“Blowing the ram’s horn represents declaring war on
all evil ways,” Tarlow said.”
Tarlow said apples and honey are often eaten during
Rosh Hashana to represent a sweet year.
But when Yom Kippur arrives, Jews observe a com
plete fast, he said.
“Jews don’t eat, drink, wash, or have sexual relations
from sundown Yom Kippur evening, which is Septem
ber 20, to sundown the next evening,” he said.
Another Yom Kippur tradition is wearing white to
represent purity, Tarlow said.
After sunset on Sept. 21, the end of Yom Kippur,
Jews break their fast with a meal of fish, juice, and spe
cial bread, he said.
The Jewish students at A&M have created their own
tradition called “break the broken fast,” Tarlow said.
After eating the small break-the-fast meal, he said, stu
dents go to a restaurant for another meal.
Tarlow said he did not know how many students
would attend services this year. Fie said about 400 Jew
ish students attend A&M, but many will leave during
the holidays since they are excused from classes.
Tarlow said few people outside the Jewish commu
nity realize the importance of High Holidays.
“Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are equivalent to
Christmas and Easter,” Tarlow said.
exas lowest in welfare payments
I AUS'I IN (AP) — Texas may do
iless for poverty-stricken people who
feeding jobs than any state in the'
nation, a policy analyst told a welf are
pommittee Thursday.
“Looking at the welfare system as
l whole in Texas, I think it’s proba
bly safe to say that — or it’s arguable
— that Texas has the most limited
welfare system in the United States,"
\ndrew Homer, a committee staff
nember and policy analyst, said.
The Special Senate Interim Com-
nittee on Workfare had scheduled a
/ote on several recommendations to
|he Legislature but lacked a quorum
is only chairman Hugh Parmer
imong the eight members was pre-
ient for the hearing.
Several members of a welfare ad
visory group were present, however.
and Parmer, D-Fort Worth, said
their suggestions would be incorpo
rated into a final report for a com
mittee vote.
According to data compiled bv the
Texas Research League, I exas
ranks 50th among the states in per
capita state and local government
expenditures for public welfare at
$141 per person, less than half the
national average of $310, the staff
report said.
Homer said Texas has very lim
ited Medicaid coverage, (and)’ we
have almost no assistance programs
for single, individual childless cou
ples and very limited programs for
the elderly.
“The state of Texas provides vir
tually no non-federal funding for
child care, for job training, for any
of the programs that could (be) used
to allow folks to try and better their
position in lite," Homer said. A
number of people have described
this system as one of benign neglect,
and I think that’s fairly accurate.”
Preliminary committee recom
mendations include raising the Aid
to Families With Dependent Chil
dren average monthly grant from
$57 to $61 and removing “unduly
burdensome procedures” for wel
fare programs.
“It seems as if the (welfare) pro
gram is pretty inaccessible, catego
rized by high denial rates for AFDC,
Medicaid, as well as food stamps,”
Homer said. “It’s not necessarily be
cause these people aren’t qualified,
it’s simply because there are a num-‘
ber of procedural barriers.”
GET SHOT
Freshmen and Sophomores
September 12—30
Juniors and Seniors
OctoberS —28
Vets, Meds and Grads
October 17-21
1989 Aggieland
Yearbook Associates
401C University
Above Campus Photo
846-8856
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Monday through Friday
Contracts for recognized student organizations are available in the club
mail boxes in the Student Finance Center and in 230 Reed McDonald.
Contracts are due Sept. 16.
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