Queen’s students rang in the Jewish New Year with apples, honey, and community.
Rosh Hashanah, a two-day holiday celebrating the start of the 5,786 New Year in the Hebrew calendar, was celebrated this year from Sept. 22 to 24. Chabad and Hillel, Jewish campus organizations, each hosted two dinners featuring prayers, shofar blowing, and traditional foods.
Chabad board member, Adi Stark, ArtSci ’28 explained in an interview with The Journal that Chabad Rosh Hashanah meals drew more than 500 attendees over two nights, with the first dinner being held in Grant Hall.
“First night, we set the tables for around 300 students,” Stark said. “We ended up having to find and schlep more tables to set up. The whole community really got involved for the Jewish New Year.”
Co-presidents of Hillel Phoebe Starnino, CompSci ’27, and Gabrielle Barsky-Giles, ArtSci ’26, reflected on the sense of community the holiday fostered. Although space was limited to 60 people, they made room for up to 70 students, opening their doors to any Jewish students at the University who may be seeking a community.
“[Chabad and Hillel] really are places where any Jewish student can come and be themselves,” Starnino said. “There’s endless programming for anything that a student could want. And there’s no expectations from us, you can show up once, and then not come back for another three weeks, and we’ll still greet you with a smile when we see you again.”
With Rosh Hashanah falling midweek, many students were unable to go home, making campus celebrations especially meaningful. Hillel’s presidents said the dinners offered a sense of community, with traditional foods served to mark the holiday’s symbolism.
“We made someone’s mother’s honey cake recipe, which is something they normally eat [during the holiday],” Barsky-Giles said. “It was her first year making it, because she always goes home, and she got to share it with everyone who came. So that was really special, being able to share all these different kinds of traditions.”
In addition to the dinners, Chabad also hosted several other events for the Jewish New Year, including morning prayer services, lunches, evening prayer services, and chances to hear the Shofar, a tradition involving the blowing of a ram’s horn.
“I really value having Chabad and so many Jewish students on campus; it really provides me with the ultimate holiday experience,” Stark said. “My family is all gathering at home, and because of Chabad, I really feel like I have a home here at Queen’s, and an amazing, vibrant, Jewish environment for the holidays.”
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