Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year celebrated on Sept. 15-17 this year, has symbolic foods that portray the coming year. According to Hebrew teacher Nina Price, the foods represent wanting to bring good intentions to the new year.

“The symbols for Rosh Hashanah focus on the sweetness of the new year, this idea of reflection, and being a good person,” said Price.

Ben Auslander, Jewish Student Union officer and junior, said the culinary traditions of Rosh Hashana, like dipping apples in honey or making challah bread, go back centuries.

“There is a challah recipe that has been going back in my family for at least five or six generations,” Auslander said. “That recipe has been tying all of us together through our span of over 100 years.”

These foods create connections to Jewish heritage. The celebration of the Rosh Hashana is able to connect the Jewish community as a whole.

“Different Jewish communities will have different food recipes, ” Price said. “But, this idea of sweetness can be found in Jewish communities throughout the entire world.”