The State of Israel and the Jewish world are celebrating the Jewish New Year of 5785 at sunset on Wednesday, October 2, with Israel at war on seven fronts and Jews around the world facing anti-Semitic exposed to waves of attacks.
On the eve of the holiday, known in Hebrew as “Rosh Hashana” (“Head of the Year”), Iran fired nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, most of which were intercepted, but the entire country He was sent to an air raid shelter. Two gunmen opened fire on civilians in the city of Jaffa, near Tel Aviv, killing seven people, including a mother protecting her baby, and injuring nine others, with the Hamas terrorist group later claiming responsibility.
Israel launched a ground invasion of Lebanon earlier in the week, continuing its counterattack against Hezbollah, after the Iranian-backed terrorist group shelled civilian communities in northern Israel for nearly a year.
Ballistic missile attacks by the Houthis have also bombed oil storage facilities and power plants in Yemen.
Additionally, Israel is still at war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Fighting terrorists in Judea and Samaria (West Bank). It also faces missiles and drones launched by Iran-backed Shiite militias in Iraq, creating a total of seven fronts facing the small country.
The holiday begins at sunset and lasts two days, followed immediately by the Jewish Sabbath, which begins at sunset on Friday and continues until Saturday evening. Holiday traditions include long prayers, eating apples dipped in honey (for a sweet New Year), and blowing a shofar (usually a ram's horn) to encourage repentance.
Rosh Hashanah begins the season known as the High Holidays. They include Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, which involves a 25-hour fast that begins at sunset on October 11th and continues until the night of October 12th. Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, begins at sunset on October 16th and continues until October 18th. Shemini Atzeret begins at sunset on October 23rd and lasts until October 24th. And Simchat Torah begins at sunset on October 24th and continues until October 25th, followed by the Shabbat on October 25th and 26th. There are several intervening days of Sukkot, from October 19th to October 22nd, which are days of celebration but not holy days.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. he is the author of Agenda: What should President Trump do in his first 100 days?available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of Trumpian Virtues: Lessons and Legacy of the Donald Trump Presidencynow available on Audible. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
