Our Rishonim are gearing up for their very first Rosh Hashanah in New Jersey! Amidst their busy schedules, teaching at various schools and institutions, we sat down with Dvir Weis from Ra’anana and Nofar Gabay from Haifa to hear about their favorite High Holiday traditions in Israel, and how they’ll be celebrating this year in Greater MetroWest.
What’s your most vivid High Holiday memory?
Nofar: The smell of cinnamon makes me homesick. Whenever I smell it now, I get visions of my mother baking apple cake for Rosh Hashanah. You can smell it all over the house. This is one of the things I miss most about home.
Dvir: I don’t cook at all, but what sticks with me is all the holiday foods. A lot of families will have a fish head on the table to symbolize the new year. We do it differently. A few years back, my sister started making whitefish, which she molds into a cute fish shape with a big head and sliced carrots for eyes. It’s hard to describe, but it’s so good.
What’s unique about the High Holidays in your hometown?
Dvir: You really feel the holidays in Ra’anana. It’s just north of Tel Aviv along Israel’s coast. Even if you’re not religious, no one drives. The streets are completely silent, except for people walking to the synagogue dressed in white. I think that will be the biggest difference here in New Jersey this year—having the world carry on around you.
Nofar: I’m from Haifa. It’s very diverse, but we all respect each other’s holidays and traditions. I grew up going to school with many Druzim, and we learned a lot from each other. Last Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day), they even made a big BBQ for us. On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, you’ll see a lot of people dressed in white for the holidays. And less cars.
Do you have any interesting family traditions?
Dvir: We always have an empty chair at the table. This started years ago, when my mom was a young girl. Her family was hosting a big family dinner for the chagim, but they’d miscalculated the number of guests. That night, the entire family was there. Imagine, cousins and cousins of cousins. My grandfather always liked to tease, so when they asked who the mystery guest was, he replied, “Uncle Eliyahu”—the long-lost brother he’d just found out about. The whole family was shocked. A secret brother! Who was this person and where had he been all these years? Since then, there’s always been an empty chair for “Uncle Eliyahu” at our table to keep the joke alive.
What do you enjoy the most about the High Holidays?
Dvir: The food! My family makes a dairy meal at night, Shavuot style complete with a cheesecake and pies and eggs. Shavuot is my favorite Jewish holiday. So, it’s kind of like a second Shavuot in Tishrei. Sure, we have the typical Rosh Hashanah foods, but there’s no one way to celebrate a holiday. And I love that my family makes it our own.
Nofar: We have a small family meal at home, then we have a bigger meal with my grandmother on the second day. In Israel, Rosh Hashanah is also two days, just like it is in other parts of the world. This makes it different from other holidays, which last only one day in Israel and two everywhere else. That will be familiar, even though I’m in New Jersey now. The holidays, especially Yom Kippur, are a special time for me, because we’re all off our phones. It’s nice to put all that aside and have the space to connect.
How do you usually spend the holidays at home?
Dvir: We go to the synagogue, but when we’re home, we’ll play a lot of board games. Settlers (of Catan) and an Israeli game called King of Falafel. I’m competitive. But it’s okay, because I usually win.
Nofar: Usually my friends from Tzofim (Scouts) all meet up and spend time together. It’s good to have that time to see everyone and catch up.
Tell me about Sukkot.
Dvir: All the houses in Ra’anana have a sukkah. My family goes all out. We make paper chains, drawings, and string up pomegranates and other fruits. The whole sukkah is decorated from top to bottom. You can’t even see the roof! It’s so colorful and full of life.
Nofar: We don’t buy an “official” sukkah, but we have a pergola in our backyard that we transform into our sukkah for the week. It’s so magical. We’ll eat out there, but we don’t sleep in it like some do.
What do you miss most this year?
Nofar: Family. I have two older sisters. One is studying in university, and the other is a commander in the North finishing up her military service. I miss them so much.
Dvir: Also, family. It’s strange to think about the holidays without them. I have three sisters. The oldest is serving in the army, while the two younger ones are still in school.
What are your High Holiday plans this year?
Dvir: The family I’m staying with is inviting people over for holiday meals. In the past few weeks, I’ve also been sharing my holiday traditions at schools and institutions throughout Greater MetroWest. It’s been nice to talk about Israel with them and learn about their traditions too.
Nofar: We’re also going to be hosting holiday meals. Someone told me that in America you eat pumpkin on Rosh Hashanah. Maybe because it’s round? That’ll be new for me!
Love getting to know our Rishonim? You’ll be hearing more exciting updates from them soon! We can’t tell you everything just yet, but Nofar has a special project up her sleeve that will bring Haifa to kids this Hanukkah.
Wishing you all a sweet new year!