Rosh Hashana

Asher and David Cherkaskyi, Ukrainian Orthodox Jews who are father and son and have both been on the front lines in Ukraine's fight against Russian occupation, in Dnipro in July. Eleanor Beardsley/NPR hide caption

Jewish pilgrims gather at a lake to perform Tashlikh, an atonement ritual that involves symbolically casting one's sins into a body of water, during the Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage to Rabbi Nachman's tomb in Uman, Ukraine on Monday. Despite Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a reported 23,000 adherents made the trip, which was complicated by the grounding of civilian aviation throughout Ukraine. Pete Kiehart for NPR hide caption

The national flag flies at half staff as people gather to mourn the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the steps in front of the Supreme Court. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images hide caption

Rabbi Yehonatan Adouar teaches a shofar blowing course in Rambam Synagogue in Ramat Gan, Israel Daniel Estrin/NPR hide caption

Matzo ball soup is a classic recipe straight from Eastern Europe. But not all Jews from the region came to the New World via Ellis Island, as reflected in this jalapeño-inflected family recipe from chef Pati Jinich. Copyright Ellen Silverman hide caption

"Honey cake is considered the fruitcake of the kosher kitchen," jokes cookbook author Marcy Goldman. "The same resistance people may have to fruitcake, a lot of people have about honey cake." With her recipe — now the go-to recipe for thousands of families — Goldman modernizes this sweet taste of the past. Deena Prichep for NPR hide caption

The traditional challah for the upcoming Jewish holiday, Rosh Hashana, is round. But as this bakery demonstrates, other shapes offer symbolic meanings. Suzanne Kreiter/Getty Images hide caption