As the sun set, families with giggling children, Ole Miss students and faculty, along with other members of the Oxford Jewish community, gathered last night at Paris-Yates Chapel for the first local observances of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
The University of Mississippi Hillel and the Jewish Federation of Oxford hosted the historic holiday service, which celebrates the Jewish New Year and is the start of a 10-day period of reflection that culminates in Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement.
Rosh Hashanah is observed as the day God created Adam and Eve, which, to members of the Jewish faith, marks the birth of the universe — therefore, this year will be 5578, according to the Jewish lunar calendar. This is the first time in a long while, maybe ever, that Oxford has hosted Rosh Hashanah observances.
“This is the holiest time of the year for the Jewish community,” Katherine Levingston, president of UM Hillel, said. “It’s a time to reflect on the previous year and what you can do to make yourself better — it’s all about the betterment of yourself and your surroundings.”
Maya Glasser, a student rabbi from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institution of Religion in New York, led the first service, Tishrei 1, last night and will also lead the second service, Tishrei 2, at 9:30 a.m. today.
Levingston, a junior international studies major, also served as the cantorial soloist for the evening, guiding the 60 or so attendees in song with her guitar and voice.
In the past, locals who practice the Jewish faith typically have had to travel to Memphis if they wanted to attend a service.
Levingston said she hoped with having the service on campus, more students would be inclined to observe and celebrate the holiday — and she was right.
Hannah Morrow, a sophomore exercise science major from Memphis, said last year, she planned to go home for Rosh Hashanah, but it didn’t end up working out.
“Last year, I didn’t do anything, which was weird because I’m so used to always participating in stuff,” Morrow said.
Bethany Colleran, a sophomore business major, also said she didn’t do anything last year to celebrate Rosh Hashanah and didn’t know what to expect for the service at Paris-Yates.
“I’m surprised there’s so many people here,” Colleran said.
Colleran said she was a little hesitant to attend the service by herself, but she actually ended up meeting Morrow there.
The two sat together in one of the pews and chatted about the possibility of upcoming events within the Hillel. Morrow said she likes making sugar cookies for Hanukkah.
“It’s good to connect with other Jewish students,” Colleran said.
The UM Hillel consists of about 40 members and has been preparing for the local Rosh Hashanah service since July. It also plans to host future events, such as dinners and a Hanukkah party.
Levingston said she thinks the presence of an active Hillel on campus will benefit not only the Jewish community but also the Ole Miss community in general because it will diversify the campus.
“A lot of Jewish students don’t look at Ole Miss because there isn’t a very active Jewish population here, so I think this will help with admissions and get people here that can contribute to the university,” Levingston said. “There are more Jewish students here than people realize.”
Jake Goldberg, a sophomore economics major and the treasurer of the UM Hillel, said that when he was applying to college, he took the Jewish community into consideration.
“For my parents, it was almost a deal-breaker that there wasn’t a significant presence of a Jewish community on campus because a lot of the schools I’ve been looking at have an active Hillel,” Goldberg said. “But I’m glad to be here to bring up a Hillel and make an impact.”
