These first couple days of the year 5785 have been like no other Rosh Hashanah I’ve experienced. Typically, I spend the holiday at home — I go to services throughout the day, embrace the beautiful beginning-of-autumn weather by going on long walks, take the occasional nap, and eat big, festive meals with my extended family. I associate the holiday with comfort, community, and a beautiful balance of newness (after all, it’s the new year) and tradition.
I knew that I wouldn’t be able to replicate that exact experience while abroad, but I wanted to make sure that I got those important pieces: comfort, community, newness, and tradition. In order to make that happen, I started thinking about the High Holidays even before I arrived in Berlin. I made a mental list of questions, and slowly figured out the answers:
Will I have to miss any classes for the holidays?
Surprisingly, I did not have to miss any classes for Rosh Hashanah! This year, the first day of Rosh Hashanah happened to be on German Unity Day, a public holiday when classes are canceled. Then, the second day of Rosh Hashanah was on a Friday, when I do not have any classes scheduled. It aligned perfectly!
The other holidays are trickier. Yom Kippur is on the same weekend as the IES Abroad Berlin overnight trip to Munich, and the start of Sukkot also aligns with a field trip to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. Hoshana Raba, Shmini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah are all during midterms week. Overall, the schedule is not necessarily ideal for observant Jewish students. The staff at the IES Abroad Berlin center are available to help problem-solve, though, and professors are generally flexible and understanding.
Where will I go to services? How can I register and get tickets?
I looked at the Jewish Community of Berlin website, where I found information about various synagogues in Berlin. From the information on that website, I identified the Oranienburger Straße Synagogue as the best fit for me, and was able to take the next steps to get registered to attend their services. The process was very easy, just a couple of emails and an online form.
I had also taken a look at Hillel Deutschland to see what they had to offer. Though I didn’t end up going to their services or events for Rosh Hashanah, I plan to check out some of their other events this semester.
Is there anyone else in the program who will be celebrating the High Holidays? Will they want to coordinate plans?
Yes! I met a few people during orientation who were interested in coordinating plans for High Holiday services and meals, and we made a group chat where we’ve shared information and plans over the past few weeks. Three of us went to Rosh Hashanah services together, and we have Shabbat dinner plans coming up, too!
Where can I find some of the special foods associated with Rosh Hashanah?
There are a couple of small kosher markets in Berlin with some basics. I went to Kosher Life, which was pretty small but had a variety of kosher wines, lots of nostalgic snacks, and some prepared food as well. For round challot, I have heard that Masha's Bagels and Delicatessen is great — ultimately, though, a couple of friends and I decided to just make our own. And, of course, there were plenty of options for apples, honey, and new fruits at the grocery store.
By figuring out those parts of my plans, I was able to make sure that I got what I wanted out of Rosh Hashanah. I found comfort and community at the Oranienburger Straße Synagogue and with my friends from IES Abroad, and I hit that tradition/newness balance perfectly as I combined my observance of the holiday with continued exploration of Berlin.
