{"id":6990,"date":"2020-09-20T17:53:45","date_gmt":"2020-09-20T17:53:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thefhguide.com\/blog\/?p=6990"},"modified":"2020-09-20T17:53:45","modified_gmt":"2020-09-20T17:53:45","slug":"jewish-holidays-and-family-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thefhguide.com\/blog\/jewish-holidays-and-family-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Jewish Holidays and Family History"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the significant benefits of dong family history is the opportunity to learn about cultures and traditions. For our Jewish friends and ancestors, this past weekend introduced the High Holy Days, with two of the most significant holidays on the calendar. Rosh Hashana was celebrated from September 18-20, and Yom Kippur will be coming up September 27-28.<\/p>\n

Here’s a brief background for each of these holidays:<\/p>\n

Rosh Hashana<\/strong><\/p>\n

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From Wikipedia: “… literally meaning ‘head [of] the year’, [Rosh Hashana] is the Jewish<\/a>\u00a0New Year<\/a>\u00a0… It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days<\/a> specified by\u00a0Leviticus 23:23\u201332<\/a><\/span> that occur in the early autumn of the Northern Hemisphere. Rosh Hashanah is a two-day celebration that\u00a0marks the beginning of the civil year, according to the teachings of Judaism, and is the traditional anniversary of the creation of\u00a0Adam and Eve<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Rosh Hashanah customs include sounding the\u00a0shofar<\/a>\u00a0(a cleaned-out ram’s horn), as prescribed in the\u00a0Torah<\/a> … Its rabbinical customs include attending synagogue services … as well as enjoying festive meals. Eating symbolic foods is now a tradition, such as apples dipped in honey, hoping to evoke a sweet new year.”<\/p>\n

Yom Kippur\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

From Wikipedia: “… also known as the Day of Atonement, [Yom Kippur] is the holiest day of the year in Judaism<\/a>. Its central themes are atonement<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0repentance<\/a>.\u00a0Jews<\/a>\u00a0traditionally observe this holy day with an approximate 25-hour period of\u00a0fasting<\/a>\u00a0and intensive\u00a0prayer<\/a>, often spending most of the day in\u00a0synagogue<\/a>\u00a0services.<\/p>\n

Yom Kippur is … the ‘Sabbath of Sabbaths’. [It] completes the annual period known in Judaism<\/a>\u00a0as the\u00a0High Holy Days<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Yamim Nora’im<\/i>\u00a0(“Days of Awe”) that commences with\u00a0Rosh Hashanah<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

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Researching Jewish Heritage in The Family History Guide<\/strong><\/p>\n

Doing research for Jewish ancestors can be challenging, due to the various ethnic groups and wide dispersion (“diaspora”) of the Jewish people around the world. However, it offers the chance to learn quite a bit about history, cultures, and people.<\/p>\n

In the Countries menu of The Family History Guide, click “Ethnic” to see the choice for Jewish research. An example from the first page is shown below.<\/p>\n

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There are links to helpful articles and videos to get you started. The Goal pages for Jewish research include:<\/p>\n