Community

The Rotary Club of Sedona will sponsor its first New Year program about the Jewish New Year-Rosh Hashanah, on Sunday, September 14, 2008, 3:00-6:00 p.m., at the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley (JCSVV), Sedona.  Pictured: Rabbi Alicia Magal, Jewish Community of Sedona and Larry Rosenberg, Rotary Club of Sedona.

Sedona Rotary Club’s “New Years All Year Around” begins Sept. 14

Sedona, AZ - August 30, 2008 - The Rotary Club of Sedona plans to “celebrate” several of the many ethnic new years traditions available in the Sedona community through its new series “New Years All Year Around” during 2008-2009.

The first New Year program is about the Jewish New Year-Rosh Hashanah, on Sunday, September 14, 2008, 3:00-6:00 p.m., at the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley (JCSVV), Sedona.

To most Americans, New Years means waiting up until midnight to toast the New Year, preferably with friends, dancing, funny hats and noisemakers. But January 1 is not the only New Year holiday on the calendars of the world.

Among the other new years celebrations are Ethiopian Coptic (9/11/08), Diwali Indian (10/28), Wuwuchim Hopi (11/1-16), Muharram Islam (12/29), Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese and other Southeast Asians (1/26/09), Mexica Aztec (3/11), Norouz Persian/Zoroastrian and Naw Ruz Baha'i (3/21), Hindu Indian (3/27), Balinese (3/30), and Thai, Cambodian, Lao, Punjab, and Bangali (4/13).

Linda Wallace, President of The Rotary Club of Sedona, states, “The Rotary Club of Sedona is part of Rotary International, a world-wide service organization dedicated to providing services to those in need and promoting world peace and understanding. With this series of ethnic new year events, we are honoring and celebrating Sedona's surprisingly diverse ethnic population.”

The Rotary Club of Sedona is partnering with the JCSVV to present a special event to introduce the meaning, sounds and tastes of Rosh Hashanah, which begins the High Holy Days of the traditional yearly cycle. For this year of 5769, according to the Hebrew lunar calendar, the 10 holy days begin September 29.

At the event, JCSVV’s Rabbi Alicia Magal will explain the historical, sacred and joyous Rosh Hashanah customs. According to her, “The Jewish calendar has four new years. We shall focus on the first one, Rosh Hashanah, which means Head of the Year and comes in the fall. The Jewish New Year marks another beginning for us. It opens the 10 Days of Awe – a cycle for forgiving, letting go, and realigning one’s life for the coming year.”

Samples of typical Jewish foods that are traditionally eaten on Rosh Hashanah will be served. The sweetness theme of the food is the keynote for the rest of the year. The finest cooks in the JCSVV will prepare these traditional foods. The menu may include sweet wine, round challah (braided bread), chicken soup with matzo balls, chopped chicken liver, gefilte fish and horseradish, chopped herring, kasha and bows (buckwheat groats and pasta), tzimmes (honeyed carrots), Israeli salad, apples and honey, and of course honey cake for a sweet year.

The primal sound of Rosh Hashanah is the blowing of the shofar, a ram's horn. This is a wake-up call to take stock of one’s life and change for the New Year.

Rabbi Alicia Magal blowing a shofar

The concept of being written into the Book of Life for a good year ahead will be described. You will get your own copy of the Book of Life to fill in.

Selections from the traditional music and songs of the season will be enjoyed.

The Rosh Hashanah event will be held at the JCSVV, 100 Meadowlark Drive, off Route 179, south of Chapel Road.

Cost of a ticket is $50 per person. Half of that amount is tax deductible, as the Rotary Club is a nonprofit organization. Proceeds from the event will go to both The Rotary Club of Sedona Endowment fund for scholarships and community projects, and to the JCSVV.

Seating is limited to 120 guests. Tickets are available online with credit card or a PayPal account, at www.SedonaRotary.org; or in person at Desert Hills Bank, 2785 West Highway 89A, Sedona, 928-282-7440, and the JCSVV, 100 Meadowlark Drive, Sedona, 928-204-1286. For further information, call Larry at 928-202-0010.
 

[Home Page] [News Home Page] [Back to Community Page]