PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Jewish new year, one of the most important holidays on the Jewish calendar, begins Friday at sundown. Rosh Hashanah is typically celebrated with apples, honey and family, but the latter will have to be different this year.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Montgomery County Commissioner Dr. Val Arkoosh said the High Holidays are sure to be unlike previous ones.
“It's been interesting,” Arkoosh said. “I was asked by one synagogue already and I recorded a video message to them, thanking them for celebrating Rosh Hashanah virtually.”
While many synagogues are holding virtual services, some families are still getting together.
“Families do need to be careful,” Arkoosh advised. “They need to practice social distancing. They should consider having masks on inside the home.
“When you decrease the duration of that close exposure and you decrease the density of that exposure, which you can do with a mask, those things will go a long way to reducing the chances that someone will be infected.”
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People can spread the virus when they let their guard down, so she recommends following the mitigation guidelines that have been laid out over the past several months — even if you're with your extended family.
“A lot can go wrong very quickly, and we've seen that over and over again,” she said. “Travel, in particular, must be done very cautiously, but I just want to continue to urge caution and continue to follow all these mitigation measures and do everything virtually as much as possible.”