Dust off the shofars, Kent State. It’s time to party like it’s 5771.

Wednesday at sunset marked the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish holiday that celebrates the dawn of a new year on the traditional Jewish calendar. Some Orthodox Jewish communities observe two days of the holiday while most modern reform communities observe just one day.

The Torah puts the first day of Rosh Hashanah exactly 163 days after Passover. Special services are held in temples and the shofar, a musical instrument made from a ram’s horn used since ancient times to announce holidays, is used to trumpet in the new year.

To all of our Jewish students: shana tova. May the year 5771 be a good one.

– Mark Haymond [email protected].