Rosh Hashanah is one of the most important days of the year for Jews, as it marks the beginning of the year in Judaism. It’s a celebration of the creation of the world and marks making a fresh start. On this day, Jews are not expected to work or go to school. Instead, it is a time for them to reflect on the past year and ask for forgiveness for anything wrong they feel they have done.
To celebrate Rosh Hashanah most Jews would attend the full two days of services that all temples/synagogues provide. However, given the fact that a lot of school districts do not give their students the full two days off to fully observe the holiday, Jewish students are put in an upsetting and tricky situation. Westport Public School district is one of the many districts that only give their students one day to observe Rosh Hashanah.
No student should have to expect to go out of their way to accommodate themselves in a way their peers don’t have to. Yet, every year as a Jewish student, I find myself fighting to have the space to celebrate my holidays without falling behind academically.
However, other students never have to worry about missing class or backlogged work because of holidays that are cushioned by long breaks or inherently fall on non-school days.
Even though teachers in the Westport Public School district do receive calendars and notifications of when Jewish and Christian holidays are and they are told not to assign work on those holidays, I find teachers going against these rules.
Last year, one of my classes had a test the day after Rosh Hashanah, therefore, I had to study both before and after services causing me to miss family time during the holiest day of the year for Jews. I was sad, annoyed and upset due to the fact that I was missing out and not able to properly celebrate my religion because my teacher went against the rules.
Teachers need to be following the rules when it comes to assign work on holidays and if they go against these rules and regulations, they need to face consequences. Innocent children who work hard to balance sports and academics shouldn’t have to worry about having a test on a holiday.
Following this philosophy would send the message that Jewish students deserve to be able to celebrate their holidays. All students, no matter what their religion or culture is, need to know that their holidays aren’t an afterthought and that they are deeply cared about.
