MAINE, Maine — Jewish community members in Maine are getting ready to celebrate a new year.
Rosh Hashana is one of the most important holidays for Jewish people.
The first holiday of the year marks the day they believe the world was created and it represents a period of renewal.
Jews celebrate new beginnings by eating apples and honey and hearing the shofar, a sacred ram's horn.
Chaim Wilansky is the rabbi at Beth Abraham Synagogue in Bangor. He said this year his congregants will sit safely apart for services. He has spread some of the benches and is expecting 30 to 40 people to gather for services.
Wilansky said the pandemic has taught us all something.
"It definitely taught us to slow down a little bit, think about our actions more and this is really the holiday, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, the high holidays, slowing ourselves down, seeing exactly where we are holding in our life, where do we want to go," he said.
For those interested in celebrating Rosh Hash, Rabbi Wilansky will blow the shofar at Broadway Park in Bangor at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Chabad of Maine in Portland will also host a blowing at noon on Tuesday at their synagogue at 11 Pomeroy St.