What Christians need to know about Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah, or Jewish New Year, begins this week. But what is it, and how can Christians speak to their Jewish friends and neighbours about the festival? Joseph Steinberg explains

Rosh Hashanah takes place on 1st Tishri and will be celebrated for 48 hours from sunset on Friday 15 September to nightfall on 17 September 2023. As Jewish people around the world celebrate the dawn of another New Year, the traditional greeting: “May your name be inscribed in the book of life” will ring out from Jewish homes and synagogues for the next ten days. Rosh Hashanah is also the first of the High Holy Days (the Ten Days of Awe, or Repentance) and culminates with the Day of Atonement – Yom Kippur - on 10th Tishri.