New York City congregations taking a more sustainable approach to Rosh Hashanah traditions
NEW YORK -- Friday night at sundown marks the start of the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah.
The holiday incorporates a tradition that involves throwing breadcrumbs into water, symbolizing throwing away one's sins, but as CBS New York's Lisa Rozner shows us, some congregations are taking a more sustainable approach this year.
As families gear up with apples and honey for Rosh Hashanah to make their new year's resolutions, some synagogues are adding another layer of what it means to have a sweet and sustainable new year.
The Actors' Temple on West 47th Street is partnering with young professionals of Moishe House Harlem to breathe new life into an age-old traditional ceremony known as Tashlich.
"Tashlich is a ceremony taken from the prophet Micah who said God will cast all your sins into the sea, so we take that literally," Rabbi Jill Hausman said.
This year they will do a "Reverse Tashlich," cleaning up the 44th Street Pier along the Hudson River and throwing stones into the water instead of bread.
"It's not good for the fish or the wildlife," Hausman said.
"We reflect on how our past year went and we see what things we can change for the year," said Mark Neufeld, of Moishe House Harlem.
The congregation is part of more than 200 participating in the environmental movement created by the nonprofit Repair the Sea six years ago.
This past weekend in the rain, members of Central Synagogue volunteered with the parks department along the East River.
"Instead of symbolically hoping God will cast our sins away, we're going to go and actually try to repair some of our sins, our pollution, our destruction of wetlands," Rabbi Ari Lorge said.
While some congregations are doing away with throwing bread into the water, the congregants will still be consuming it during the tradition.
Central Synagogue will cast away "oats" into the water rather than bread, and it also will purchase plastic collected by Repair the Sea that's turned into Jewish ritual objects.
Manischewitz, known for holiday staples like matzo ball soup, is also reducing waste by donating to nonprofits who serve people in need like Masbia, a kosher soup kitchen.
The sustainable ceremonies are open to everyone.
For more information, visit Moishe House Harlem's Instagram and the Actors' Temple's Instagram.