The new year 5787 was greeted by Hillel JSCC together with Moishe House outdoors – on the banks of the Dnipro, hosting a warm and rich celebration of Rosh Hashanah for the participants.
“Rosh Hashanah, the beach, and the last warm summer-like day – that is how Hillel JSCC together with Moishe House greeted the new year 5787,” says Alona Kolpina, director of Hillel.
“This time, the celebration took place outdoors, on the banks of the Dnipro. We saw off the passing year, socialized, relaxed, and prepared for the new one. Creative workshops, sports activities, and lounge zones were available for the participants, and a festive buffet complemented the atmosphere of the gathering.
Everyone could choose an activity to their liking: create a pomegranate mosaic, make their own spice blend, play badminton, or simply spend time with friends.
The main adventure of the day was a festive quest. Five teams set off to five stations to collect the traditional symbols of Rosh Hashanah – the shofar, apple, honey, pomegranate, and fish head. Participants were met with a variety of tasks and colorful guide characters, as well as the restless Mashbit Simcha, who tried with all his might to spoil the festive mood.
After the quest, we gathered all the symbols of the holiday together, recited Kiddush, heard the sounds of the shofar, and tasted apples with honey. By tradition, we wished one another a sweet, good, and happy year.
The celebration concluded by the water with a symbolic Tashlich. Participants left on small stones what they wished to let go of in the new year, and then threw them into the water, symbolically leaving it in the past.
Hillel JSCC thanks the Jewish Community of Dnipro for its support and for the opportunity to create such warm gatherings together and to fill the city’s Jewish life with new events. May the year 5787 become a year of new beginnings, warm meetings, shared adventures, and as many reasons for joy as possible.
Shana Tova Umetuka!”
