-Caveat Lector- Violence casts shadow on Jewish New Year By MARK LAVIE The Associated Press 9/29/00 6:04 PM JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israelis marked the Jewish new year at sundown Friday with festive family meals, dipping apples in honey to usher in a sweet year, but the celebrations were marred by deadly Israeli-Palestinian clashes. In Jerusalem, the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest shrine, normally packed with worshippers during high holidays, stood deserted Friday after confrontations erupted between Palestinian stone throwers and Israeli riot police at the adjacent mosque compound. The rioting left four Palestinians dead, 175 injured, and 44 Israeli policemen hurt. Israel faces a year of uncertainty, with a peace treaty appearing increasingly elusive and Prime Minister Ehud Barak's government teetering. The Jewish new year, called Rosh Hashanah in Hebrew, begins a 10-day period of solemn introspection, soul-searching and asking for forgiveness for sins. At sundown Friday, Israelis gathered for elaborate meals marking the start of the year 5761. Children performed holiday songs they had learned in school. Diners dipped apples in honey and ate pomegranates to reaffirm the commandment that Jews do as many good deeds as the fruit as seeds. Hotels and guest houses in Israel's resort areas, including the Galilee in northern Israel, were filled with holiday makers. This year, the first day of the two-day holiday fell on the Jewish Sabbath. The sounding of the shofar, a trumpet made from a ram's horn that traditionally heralds the holiday's start, was absent, since the shofar is not used on the Sabbath, according to Jewish law. It will sound on Sunday, the second day of the holiday. While many Israelis attend special religious services on both days, others take advantage of the long weekend to travel to vacation spots in Israel and abroad. Beaches and resorts are expected to be crowded throughout the holiday. The solemn period ends with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, starting at sundown Oct. 8. Israelis' feelings about the future were mixed. In a poll in the Yediot daily, 60 percent said the state of the nation is good, 83 percent said their personal situation is good and 46 percent expected a change for the better in the coming year. Still, more than half the people, 55 percent, said their personal mood is not good. Only 26 percent thought the peace process with the Arabs was going well, while 70 percent said it was not. The poll, by the Dahaf agency, questioned 501 Israeli adults and quoted a 4.5 percent margin of error. Israelis crowded shopping centers and open-air marketplaces, stocking up for the holiday. At Jerusalem's outdoor Mahane Yehuda market, extra police patrolled. Markets have been targets for bomb attacks in the past. "We hope this is the last New Year without peace," said student Shira Kohn, 19, as she shopped. Copyright 2000 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
