Challah is the bread that is typically served by Jews on Shabbat as well as on holidays. The source of the word challah is a biblical command to separate a piece of bread dough as a tithe for the kohanim, the priests. This obligation is called hafrashat challah, or “separating the challah.” Challah is usually a braided loaf bread, but challah for the High Holidays is baked in a round shape. One explanation is that this symbolizes the circular nature of the seasons and the year. Another explanation says that the round challah resembles a crown, representing God as king. There are other less common traditions for enhancing the challah served on Rosh Hashanah and at the meal prior to fasting on Yom Kippur, including which of the following?

Challot by Mark D. Zimmerman

Jews around the world are listening to the blowing of the shofar during the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, and again on Yom Kippur. The shofar is typically a hollowed out ram’s horn, though other animals’ horns are also used, including goats, ibexes and kudus. While there is not a specific reference to the shofar in the Torah, it says in Leviticus Chapter 23 Verse 24, “In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe complete rest, a sacred occasion commemorated with loud blasts.” What shofar-related event took place that made the Guinness Book of World Records?

Shofar by slgckgc is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Yeshiva University has refused for years to recognize the Y.U. Pride Alliance, an LGBTQ student organization. The organization has sued the university, which argued in court that the school’s “religious freedom” rights as the “world’s premier Torah-based institution of higher education” would be violated if it has to recognize and support the LGBTQ group. The United States Supreme Court recently ruled that the school must obey the decision of the New York State Supreme Court, which stated that because the school is incorporated as an educational institution, not a religious one, it cannot deny the club’s request. In response, Yeshiva University announced that for the time being, they are suspending all student club activities. A lawyer representing the student organization called the university’s action “a throwback to 50 years ago when the city of Jackson, Miss., closed all public swimming pools rather than comply with court orders to desegregate.” There are almost 100 student organizations affected by the University’s decision, including which of the following?

Yeshiva University Zysman Hall from northeast by Beyond My Ken is licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth died at the age of 96, having reigned for 70 years. She is being mourned around the world, including by members of the British Jewish community. According to Ephraim Mirvis, the Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom, “Her affection for the Jewish people ran deep, and her respect for our values was palpable.” In 2005, the Queen bestowed knighthood on Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the former Chief Rabbi. In that same year, Queen Elizabeth met with a group of Holocaust survivors at St. James’s Palace, where according to Rabbi Sacks, she remained long beyond her scheduled appointment (very unusual for the Queen) in order to spend time hearing the stories of each of the survivors. The Queen was criticized, however, in 1996 on an official visit to Poland, because she did not visit Auschwitz. She also received criticism on that visit for not referencing the Polish Jews who had suffered under Nazi occupation in a speech she gave to the Polish Parliament. What was the official explanation for this omission?

Queen Elizabeth II March 2015 by Joel Rouse/ Ministry of Defence is licensed under the United Kingdom Open Government Licence v3.0