HAPPY ROSH HASHANAH 2025

Well, my Jewish New Year is here once again. My pals and I are always surprised by its occurrence because, unlike the universal New Year, which is always on January 1st, the one my tribe celebrates changes every year. (I didn’t grow up religious, so I still don’t know why. I sort-of doubt that anyone knows the real reason for it.)

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always enjoyed the Jewish holidays during this time of year. (Coincidentally, today is the first day of Fall, so that makes the holiday feeling even better!) Back then, I liked getting dressed-up and going to my local temple to hear words of wisdom from a higher-up. It made me feel somewhat special.

But when I arrived in LA as a teenager, the situation was immediately different. I met few Jewish people at all, and the family of the one Jewish friend I had in those early days wasn’t kind enough to include me, (which actually goes against a couple of the basic tenets of Judaism—kindness and inclusivity.)

After a year and a half here, I moved to Rhode Island, where it got worse—I didn’t know even one Jew! So, of course, my observance of the holidays waned. (I wasn’t going to do them alone, and was actually too young to even know how to do them!)

It’s actually sort-of an amusing tale of how I got back into the celebrations. The deets are too long a story to tell them all here, so maybe I’ll relate the tale in one of my YouTube channel’s videos some day. But here are the basics:

After finishing college in Providence, and then teaching there for a bit, I moved back to LA to be in my friend Bridget’s wedding. It was September, and my friend Jeanine and I were getting an apartment. But, until we found one, we were staying in a UCLA fraternity house. You read that right—not a sorority one, a fraternity! And the guys wanted us out because they were all moving back in for school. So we had just a couple of hours to find someplace else. (And trust me, we definitely didn’t want to be the only two girls there for their kegger that night!)

Jeanine had nary an idea of where we could go, especially with very low funds, and I had been back in town for just a few days, (after not living here for three years!,) but I knew that I had to be the one to save us somehow. Long story, (that will be in the video,) but by some miracle, I came up with finding an old friend I hadn’t seen in four years, who had a new wife, (and the two of them had just moved here from Brooklyn a few weeks before,) and begged to stay with them for a few days, (which turned into weeks!)

Mitchell and Sheralyn were kind enough to not only say yes, but also pick us up from the fraternity house, (along with Jeanine’s copious plants—don’t ask,) and, shockingly after all that, we’re still friends to this day!

Our time with them included the Jewish high holy days, and the couple was Jewish, so when Sher was going to temple, and also fasting for Yom Kippur, I figured it was only polite to join her in those practices. And I’ve kept it up ever since!

My Rosh Hashanah won’t be as exciting this year, but peace is what I’m after these days. I’m going to stay home tonight with Mr. X, have some chicken noodle soup, and enjoy some apples with honey, which signifies a “sweet year” to come. (I recommend that spiritual taste treat to everyone, no matter your ethnic persuasion.)

And perhaps I’ll also apologize to anyone I’ve wronged this year, (as my “people” are supposed to do for this next week or so,) even though I cannot think of anyone I’ve slighted in any way. (But I can think of several who have done that to me. Oh well.)

And now, to all of you who celebrate at this time of year, I wish you the happiest and healthiest of New Years. L’Shanah Tovah!