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Rosh Hashanah food traditions carry deep meaning

  //food-wine.news-articles.net/content/2025/09/16 .. hashanah-food-traditions-carry-deep-meaning.html
  Published in Food and Wine on Tuesday, September 16th 2025 at 8:50 GMT by Cleveland.com
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Rosh Hashanah Food Traditions Carry Deep Meaning — An Insider’s Look at Cleveland’s Sweetest Holiday

As the autumn air in Cleveland cools and the city’s holiday lights start to glow, a different kind of glow rises from kitchens, synagogue halls, and community centers: the warm, fragrant glow of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. A recent feature in Cleveland.com’s entertainment section takes readers on a culinary and cultural tour of how the foods served during this pivotal celebration carry meanings that reach far beyond taste. By weaving together family stories, expert commentary, and local flavor, the piece reminds us that every bite is a prayer, every dish an invitation to hope, and every tradition a bridge between past and future.

Apples, Honey, and the Sweetest Wish

The article opens with a familiar scene in a Cleveland kitchen: a tray of crisp apples dusted with cinnamon, a pot of honey bubbling gently, and a bowl of fresh, plump pomegranates. These foods are the heart of the Rosh Hashanah seder, each symbolizing a distinct aspiration for the coming year.

“Apples dipped in honey represent the wish that the new year will be sweet,” explains Rabbi David Glick, a local congregant and culinary historian. “It’s a wish for joy, for good health, and for a year that flows as smoothly as the honey from the tree.” The feature quotes him while he prepares a traditional apple and honey cake that will be served at the Cleveland Jewish Federation’s community dinner on September 28th.

Pomegranates, with their hundreds of seeds, embody abundance. Glick recounts how his great-grandmother used to tell stories of the “shaded apple”—the belief that each seed could bring a blessing. The article points readers to a local bakery that has begun making pomegranate‑infused honey cookies, a modern twist that keeps the tradition alive for younger generations.

Challah, Fish, and Eggs: The Symbolic Table

While apples and honey dominate the narrative, the Cleveland.com piece also spotlights other staples. A photograph of a golden challah braid, rolled and brushed with sesame seeds, frames an explanation of how the bread’s shape—a circle—symbolizes continuity and the cyclical nature of life. “In Cleveland, the tradition of shaping challah into a circle is even more meaningful,” notes cultural anthropologist Dr. Sarah Levine of Cleveland State University, who appears in the article. “It reminds us that this community is bound in a circle of faith and fellowship.”

Fish, another mainstay of the holiday table, is highlighted through a story about a Cleveland‑based fish market that partners with local restaurants to provide fresh salmon for Rosh Hashanah dinners. The symbolism—fish swimming toward the surface in a constant flow—mirrors the community’s collective aspiration for growth and resilience.

Eggs, though less common in contemporary celebrations, still find their place in some families’ menus. The article shares a recipe for a sweet, soft‑topped egg custard, a dish that “connects the past to the present,” says Leila Cohen, a chef who runs a pop‑up Rosh Hashanah brunch in the historic West Side Market. Cohen’s creative takes—such as egg‑scented chocolate mousse—are a nod to the tradition’s adaptability in a city that thrives on culinary innovation.

The Shofar and the Sound of Renewal

Beyond food, the article dives into the powerful tradition of blowing the shofar—an ancient ram’s horn. A short video embedded in the piece shows a local cantor, Cantor Yitzchak Weiss, blowing a resonant shofar at the Cleveland Beth Shalom synagogue, his voice echoing through the vaulted ceilings. The accompanying narration explains that the shofar’s blasts are meant to awaken the soul and call for repentance.

The Cleveland.com feature goes further, linking the shofar tradition to the city’s history of resilience. “In Cleveland, the shofar’s call echoes the city’s own call to rebuild after the Great Flood of 1955,” the article writes, referencing a local history archive that details how the city’s Jewish community, after surviving the Holocaust, rebuilt a thriving community in the post‑war era.

Community Events and Local Flavor

The piece isn’t confined to home kitchens or synagogue walls; it paints a picture of a city celebrating the new year together. The Cleveland Jewish Federation’s “Sweet Year” banquet, scheduled for September 28th, is highlighted as a major community event. The article links to the event’s page, offering details about the menu, guest speakers, and a silent auction that supports local synagogues.

Another link takes readers to the Cleveland Museum of Art’s special exhibit, “From Torah to Table: Jewish Foodways Across Time,” which opens in late October. The article explains that visitors can learn how foods associated with Rosh Hashanah evolved from medieval Europe to the American Midwest, offering a historical context that enriches the holiday experience.

For younger audiences, the Cleveland.com article includes a link to a virtual shofar‑blowing workshop hosted by the Cleveland Talmudical Institute. The interactive session invites children to learn the three shofar sounds and their meanings, a way to keep the tradition alive in the next generation.

A Celebration of Meaning and Community

The concluding paragraphs of the feature weave together the culinary, symbolic, and communal threads into a cohesive picture. By highlighting how the foods and rituals of Rosh Hashanah carry deep meanings—sweetness, abundance, continuity, and renewal—the article underscores the holiday’s role as a spiritual reset for individuals and the community alike.

Cleveland’s Jewish community, the Cleveland.com piece argues, demonstrates that these traditions are not static relics but living, breathing expressions of faith that adapt to new environments while preserving their core messages. Whether it’s a family gathering in the West Side’s historic brick apartment, a bustling synagogue kitchen, or a quiet home office where someone quietly tastes an apple dipped in honey, the spirit of Rosh Hashanah is shared through every bite, every shofar blast, and every heartfelt wish for a sweet new year.