Happy New Year!

Is the office slightly quieter today? Were there fewer parents dropping the little ones off at school this morning? Were there a lot more parked cars in certain spots around Wedgwood, Seward Park or Mercer Island?

If so, then you noticed Seattle's very low-key signs that Rosh Hashanah or the Jewish New Year is here.

Growing up Jewish in New York City, we're always a little surprised when the New Year rolls around in Seattle because there are so many less observant Jews here. Back home, the days leading up to the New Year would find places like Zabar's packed, parents making arrangements to get their kids' school work in advance and a flurry of sprucing up activity around every synagogue (which dot the city's streets there like Starbucks do here).

But here, where there are only about 40,000 Jews living in the metropolitan area (out of about 2.4 million people), outward signs of Judaism are fewer and farther between (NYC's Jewish population makes up about 13 percent of the 8 million people who live there). But there's always a few tell-tale signs like those mentioned above (also look for the people who don't usually dress up looking slightly spiffier and maybe wearing a Kipah (yarmulke) on their heads).

For Jews, the New Year is the start of the 10 holiest days of the year (also known as The High Holy Days. Kinda like the days between Ash Wednesday and Easter). Like all Jewish holidays, it starts at sundown because our calendar follows the cycles of the moon so Rosh Hashanah actually started yesterday. The synagogue services for the New Year last all day. You've probably heard of or seen a shofar which is blown from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur.

After the 10 High Holy Days it's Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. That's the holiest day of the year when Jews fast from sundown to sundown and atone for their sins in hopes of getting their names written into the Book of Life. After spending long hours at temple with no food, we Break the Fast with a massive community meal.

Anyway, although it's harder to tell here in Seattle, it's now the year 5768 on the Jewish calendar. Eat some apples and honey for sweetness and prosperity in the new year (preferably not on your own since we're a very communal bunch) and wish folks "L'Shanah Tovah" (Happy New Year).