Jews usher in New Year with hope for Middle-East war end

The city's Jewish community began Rosh Hashana, also spelt as Rosh Hashanah, a two-day observance beginning on Wednesday evening to usher in their New Year.

- Manoj Ramakrishnan

The war in the Middle East loomed over the celebrations and security at religious gatherings at synagogues and other sites for rituals was tight in view of the scaling up of the hostilities between Israel and Gaza and Lebanon.

Rosh Hashana means the 'head of the New Year' in Hebrew. The festival is also the beginning of the 10 days of repentance leading to Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. For this reason, Rosh Hashana is also called the annual day of judgment. Synagogues in the city observed the ritual of blowing the shofar or the Ram's horn after the recital of the additional service.