Rosh Hashanah is a holiday dedicated to repentance, forgiveness, and new beginnings. It is also a time filled with festive meals and tasty dishes that bring families together. Some of these dishes are desserts, such as apple cake, honey cake, and rugelach, symbolizing hopes for a sweet new year. For many, these recipes are not only delicious but also carry personal and cultural meaning, bringing family together and creating memories that last long after the holiday.

Chloe Ammann, a freshman at BT High School, describes the significance of her special applesauce cake as “the sweetness of the new year and great memories with [her] family.” Baking has become one of Chloe’s favorite ways to connect with Rosh Hashanah traditions.

She added, “Everyone makes something on the holiday, and that’s my special dish: my applesauce cake. Everybody loves it, and they’re always asking me when I’ll make it next.”

Surprisingly, Chloe admits that she dislikes applesauce, but she loves the way it transforms her cake: “The sweet, moist apple blends perfectly with the cake, making it fruity but also sweet and flavorful.”

Rabbi Hirsch’s wife bakes another special dessert, Sunken Apple Pie. Nicknamed “The Gourmet” for her remarkable cooking and baking skills, she prepares this dish only once a year.

Rabbi Hirsch explained that his favorite part is “how the apples have to be prepared in five different steps before you even bake it,” emphasizing the pie’s careful, time-intensive process. For him, this unique dessert embodies both “gratitude and anticipation,” due to its lengthy process but satisfying result. 

From applesauce cake to sunken apple pie, these recipes showcase more than just flavor; they reflect the love, effort, and tradition that are woven into Rosh Hashanah celebrations. Each dish carries a story, a memory, and a hope for the year ahead, reminding families that the sweetest part of the holiday is not only what’s on the table, but the people gathered around it.

At BT and in any Jewish community, the holidays are something to cherish; food from every family brings people together and highlights the spirit of the time of year.