Rosh Hashanah, a fresh start for the new year

Rabbi Alan C. Stein of Temple Shalom in Woodbury sees Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, which begins Wednesday at sundown, as a time for both individuals and the larger community to examine the past year and usher in a fresh start.

He plans to talk during High Holy Day services about relevant issues in the news -- Pope Francis questioning "Who am I to judge" gay people; the racist and anti-Semitic remarks by TV cook Paula Deen and the depth of conflicts in the Middle East -- to encourage synagogue members to think about "How can we be better people" as they turn a new page in the Book of Life.

"If you are not engaged on the social issues, you are living with blinders and you are not realizing the ramifications," Stein said.

Stein's synagogue is one of more than 180 on Long Island welcoming Rosh Hashanah, the start of the Hebrew year 5774.

The staccato notes of the shofar, the ram's horn, traditionally welcome the new year for Jews, who are an estimated 139,000 households on Long Island, according to the UJA Federation of New York, a philanthropic organization.

The period of the High Holy Days, which starts with Rosh Hashanah -- translated as "head of the year" -- and concludes on the 10th day of their new year with a search for atonement on Yom Kippur -- presents a respite for Jews to examine their lives and nourish community life, religious and community leaders said.

"It's a time to think about how we lead our lives," said David Newman, Long Island director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, which works on outreach between Jewish groups and other communities.

That introspection, said Michael Stanger, president of the Long Island Board of Rabbis and rabbi at the Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation, will include everything from personal struggles and goals to discussing regional concerns such as the disruptions caused by superstorm Sandy and trepidations about international turmoil in places such as Egypt and Syria.

"Part of what we learn is that there's always going to be challenges in every year and for every life, and there's always ways in which we have to put pieces together of our own puzzle," Stanger said.

Laura Selub von Schmidt, 64, a retired dentist from Dix Hills, said the holy days of Rosh Hashanah have grown more significant to her over the years because they give her "a sense of history and community that is very deep."

She and her husband, Chuck, expect to attend services at Temple Shalom in Woodbury and will gather with extended family to partake of a traditional holiday dinner of matzo ball soup, roast goose, fresh vegetables and the treats of homemade challah bread, the sweet stew known as tzimmes and apples with honey in wishing for "a sweet year."

Schmidt said she will take stock of her life and will recommit to helping others. "There is poverty on Long Island and there's people who don't have enough food and they don't have enough things so their kids can go to school," said Schmidt. "These are basic issues about human survival we can't forget."

The UJA Federation of New York has listed on its website services at six Suffolk and 15 Nassau synagogues that will welcome newcomers for the holy day gatherings.The group, which also issued the most recent estimates of 43,000 Jewish households in Suffolk and 96,000 in Nassau in 2011, said Long Island continues to have a robust Jewish community that keeps the traditions alive and supports charitable efforts in the New York area and beyond.

"The strength of the Jewish population in America . . . you can find it in Suffolk and Nassau counties," said Rabbi Michael Paley, scholar-in-residence with the Manhattan-based UJA. "It's an incredibly and almost historically generous community."