Who is this Rosh Hashanah person anyway?

Defamer posted this purportedly leaked email from a DreamWorks exec assistant asking who Rosh Hashanah is. I have no idea if it's real or not, but it's a hoot. "DreamWorks Assistant Thinks 'Rosh Hashanah' Is Newest Hollywood Power Broker" (Defamer, thanks Jason Weisberger!)

David Pescovitz is Boing Boing's co-editor/managing partner. He's also a research director at Institute for the Future. On Instagram, he's @pesco.

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daveistrad

This is funny but kinda sad about the lack of basic comparative religious instruction many people receive. I just had a conversation yesterday with a very intelligent, capable person who thought jewish people went to church.
the Other michael

@10 >But now I’m confused, what is Oy Gevalt?

That’s where they keep the lox.
zuzu

Who let these goyim into Hollywood, anyway? I thought the Jews controlled the entertainment and banking industries. :P

(And before anyone goes all Alan Dershowitz on me, clearly this was tongue-in-cheek.)
cniebla

thnk s nfr fr chrstns tht jws tk bth chrstn .nd. jw hldys frm wrk. Lt m xpln: whn cmpny s lctd n mjrty-chrstn cntry, th bsnss s clsd fr hldys n chrstn-rltd clbrtns (nd jws cnnt pt-t fr tht), bt sm sk t tk jw-rltd clbrtns frm wrk .ls. Bng nn-rlgs prsn myslf, nd hvng my wn cmpny, dn’t tk thr nd njy mr my vctns :) dn’t lk ppl tht tk xcss t b bsnt frm wrk nd b lzy, bt rspct rthdx-rlgs ppl wh rlly tk th tm t lv thr rlgn. nyn lvng n Mxc cn rlt t ths ss…
trr

I would think that the logical thing to do when someone says “I can’t make the Tuesday meeting because of Rosh Hashanah” and you have never heard of Rosh Hashanah is not assume that Rosh Hashanah is a person, and ask “what is Rosh Hashanah?”.

I mean would an adult ever say, with no further explanation, something like “I can’t come to the meeting next Tuesday because of Fred Sims.”??
OM

“Rosh Hashanah is Ross Hassan after a few drinks.”

…Dammit! You beat me to that one!
iamcantaloupe

Fucking gentiles.

God, I just love using that word.

Gentile.
zuzu

I just had a conversation yesterday with a very intelligent, capable person who thought jewish people went to church.

“Church” / “temple” / “mosque”, is there a significant difference? By any other name, it’s still just the building the cult leader makes his/her followers pay for.
gabrielm

link goes to “thinks” aka Mr 404.
themindfantastic

I’ve interacted with exactly TWO openly jewish people in my life, only one actually practicing, and even *I* know what Rosh Hashanah is… this is about up there with Ramadan being a new Guru out of india…
ashok

Hrm.

I’m thinking it’d be possible for someone with time on their hands to figure out the blanked out portions of that email.

If only they had used a fixed-width font.
Enochrewt

I had no idea what Rosh Hashanah is, I googled it. But to be fair most of my Jewish knowledge comes from “The Yiddish Policeman’s Union”.

I do my best to be respectful of other people’s beliefs and holidays, I have a professor who is muslim, and he’s fasting for Ramadan, so I know to not offer him a piece of gum. But it’s impossible to keep up with them all if you aren’t of their faith, and it’s very unreasonable for people of that faith to be offended when you don’t know their customs.

Now if you’re the boss of an ethnically diverse group that’s a different matter…. That’s part of their job, and should be googling Yom Kippur and whatnot when it gets requested off.
Giler

#57 Windyminn:

I don’t think that can be the answer. Of course you’re right to say that Christianity developed out of a Jewish community, but within a fairly short period after the Council of Nicea Constantine et al. had done a fairly thorough job of overhauling the festivals, not least by superimposition over Jewish and pagan ones, and by the end of the fourth century they’re pretty much detached. So I don’t see how the development of Christianity from Judaism should lead to an assumption that Jewish holidays are more significant in this day and age to a non-Jew than, say, Islamic or Sikh festivals.

Perhaps it’s just that Judaism is traditionally better understood in the UK than other non-Christian religions.
jimh

Next:
Thanks for explaining the Rosh Hashanah thing. But now I’m confused, what is Oy Gevalt?
padster123

Well, I wouldn’t've known… I had to google it.
mhwang

“I’ve interacted with exactly TWO openly jewish people in my life, only one actually practicing…”

I lol’d, because the way it was worded made me think of closeted Jewish people:

“Mom? Dad? I’m… I’m Jewish.”
“*GASP!* Have… have you ever tried not being a Jew?”
“Mom! I was _born_ that way!”
Beanolini

#51, ACB:

You obviously have never been to Stamford Hill on a Saturday. More black hats than at a hacker convention.

Ditto Gateshead, which houses the largest Orthodox Rabbinical school in Europe.
rebdav

I suppose this is something like the time I was in charge of a big promo for a Linux development funding organization, my business partner was also of the tribe. Imagine my panic finding every office store closed several days before it started (Jan 1) and becoming suspicious of the lack of traffic. Before I pulled out my zombie defense gear I called my wife and described the suspicious setting, she reminded me it was Christmas day…..

Lashanna Tova!!
Gmar Tov!
zuzu

Thanks for explaining the Rosh Hashanah thing. But now I’m confused, what is Oy Gevalt?

Is that the one where they have to go into the tent? ;)
David Pescovitz

xxxxxx @1, What’s the source of your data on that?
Talia

#1: nonsense. Most nonjewish people may not know what its all about but they’re at least aware its a Jewish holiday.
RedShirt77

I know what Rosh Hashanah is but almost made the same error when I saw it in type for the first time in a long time.

It does look like a name at a glance and I think Jewish tradition is to phrase descriptions of holidays or something.

I noticed the reference here is similar in nature to the one that confused me.

Jewish holiday:
“I can’t make that meeting Tuesday because of Rosh Hashanah.”

Secular/Christian Holiday:
“We can’t have a meeting on tuesday because Tuesday is Christmas, you scrooge.”
Takuan

if all organized religions have equal standing in democracies,then all holy days must be either observed by all or disregarded by all. At last a way for religion to do some good! Perhaps a way to at last keep rampant capitalism from working us all to death. I want ALL the holidays!
Roy Trumbull

The downside to looking up Rosh Hashanah is you go away thinking it’s the new Year. Well it is except for the other ones.
“Do you have some time for coffee and a Danish? I think I can explain. Got your cell phone? Let’s try dial-a-rabbi.”
Stevezilla

That is TOTALLY going to be my new stage name! I’ll bill myself as the illegitimate son of Whoopi Goldberg! Thanks, Boing Boing!!
cstatman

sound the shofar, the high holidays are on us, let’s celebrate!

Unless you are in Hollywood, and you need to know who it is, and why Rosh is so important peeps drop meets for him….
j5ive

And they say this isn’t a Cristian nation…
or1on_pax

had to sign up if just to post this. I love robot chicken….

just in case (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7feZQtf_8Q)
Tirjasdyn

I work at a JCC (Jewish Community Center)…I find this totally hilarious because a gal from the tennis center came down to ask for some info on Jewish holidays because a lot of the tennis players aren’t Jewish and they’re a little mad we’ll be closed. She didn’t know enough to tell them.

We have folks here who don’t know what it is.
kingultra

Reminds me of a Simpson’s episode. Principal Skinner is on the phone with Superintendent Chalmers, and he is obviously nervous:

“I understand Weinstein’s parents were upset, but it sounds so made up: YOM KIPPUR.”
zuzu

I know Weinstein’s parents were upset, Superintendent, but I was sure it was a phony excuse. I mean, it sounds so made up: “Yom Kippur.”

– Principal Skinner
Gaudeamus

When I was in school we got Rosh Hashanah off. It was an extra day, we all loved it. I never paid attention to the holiday until the Rosh Hashanah I awoke to find the house I was in (and the couch I was sleeping on) in flames. Since then, I have never forgotten Rosh Hashanah.
jeffcapeshop

i live in edinburgh in scotland.

i saw an orthodox jewish man from a bus once, and i’ve watched curb your enthusiasm and the daily show. that’s about the extent of my jewish exposure.

i couldn’t name many holidays from other religions either if that helps.
grimc

@#20

“Doh!”

– Homer Simpson

:)
CaseyE

Jews are less than 1% of the US population according to my Jewish ex-wife–so don’t ridicule folks too much.
Mim

This is cute… but I call FAKE! – A Jewish woman named Kristi?!?!
Mim

@35 – Oh no! What’s wrong with Fred?
Falcon_Seven

I thank G-d that I grew up with exposure to so many different cultures and nationalities. There are so many people that I meet now that have no clue to the many different cultural references that I sometimes make in conversation. So many of them wouldn’t know the difference of a mohel from a shochet. It really is a shame that they are so clueless
TheWillow

When I was a kid, school picture day was always, without fail, on Rosh Hashanah.

Hooray Virginia!
shutz

Before I got a chance to work at a company helmed and staffed by a non-negligible number of Jews, I had never heard of Rosh Hashanah. Hanukkah, Yom Kippur, I’d heard of those, but not Rosh Hashannah.

So while I find the leaked email funny, I can certainly understand that assistant’s confusion.
Giler

Speaking as a UK resident, this strikes me as being really interesting.

I was initially surprised to hear that people haven’t heard of Rosh Hashanah – I know it’s the Jewish new year, although I admit I don’t know much more about it than that. And yet, on reflection, I had no idea (until I looked it up just now) that Sikh new year is called Nanakshahi – yet there are more Sikhs than Jews in the UK. And al Hijra is the Islamic new year, apparently, of which I’d also never heard, even though there are nearly six times more Muslims than Jews in the UK.

Of course, Jews have been part of the UK population for many centuries (if not millennia), but I don’t think that can account for it – after all, there has been significant Muslim immigration/conversion for over three hundred years now and significant Sikh influx since the middle of the nineteenth century. So why is it that we expect people to know about Jewish festivals but not other (non-Christian) ones?
acb

@56: Also, there have been Jewish voices in British and American popular culture to a greater extent than Sikh or Islamic voices, making Jewish references (or watered-down versions thereof) more easily recognisable. I.e., more or less everyone knows that Hanukkah is Jewish for “Christmas”. (Which isn’t strictly accurate, but is common knowledge.)
thelastspot

I’m sorry, but I have lived and worked in both Canada and Europe at various times and I assumed Rosh Hashanah was some ultra famous person who this assistant did not recognize.

Why would I Google something that looks like a name!?

My Jewish aunt was quite shocked with how little Jewish culture is known outside the US and Israel.

In fact, as I have gotten older, I have come to realize a lot of what I assumed were made up words in Adam Sandler (and other Hollywood) movies turn out to be real phrases!
Matt Gibson

Rosh who? No, really, I just had to look it up. I grew up in a neighbourhood with a big Jewish contingent (Gants Hill, in London), so I suppose it’s possible I once heard of it. But I don’t think anyone’s mentioned the term to me in the last couple of decades.

Is there something ironic I’m missing about someone from DreamWorks not knowing about a religious holiday? I could understand a BoingBoing posting if this was an internal email from a Rabbi…
Antinous

It suddenly occurs to me that Tisha B’Av would be a great drag name.

Not knowing what Rosh Hashanah is? Feh.
Jack

To anyone saying it’s reasonable to not know what Rosh Hashannah is makes sense. But we’re talking about an assistant in Hollywood working for Dreamworks which is spearheaded by Steven Spielberg & Jeffrey Katzenberg. Not to mention, we live in the age of the Interweb. It takes 5 seconds to do a Google search.

A shame for the goyim this is.
Spikeles

/agree with Matt Gibson

I hadn’t heard of this before either.
Lauren O

People who have never heard of Rosh Hashanah, I am very curious to know where you live.

Matt Gibson, I think even the biggest Jewish contingent in London is relatively small, as there are very few Jews in England, so that makes some sense.

But are there really places in America where significant amounts of people have not heard of Rosh Hashanah? This is blowing my mind.
windyminn

#56 Giler:

Because Christianity was founded on Judaism; look at the beginning of your bible.
Spikeles

@Lauren O
I live in Australia. I don’t know any Jewish people, and i don’t think I’ve ever talked to any about their holidays.

@jack
>It takes 5 seconds to do a Google search.
Indeed it does. But I’m assuming that the phrasing of the original statement was similar to what Redshirt77 said.

“I can’t make that meeting Tuesday because of Rosh Hashanah.”

To me(who had never heard of it before) it sounds like a name. It doesn’t sound like a holiday, it sounds like it’s referring to a person.

Lets take another example from Hindu:
“I can’t make that meeting Tuesday because of Akshaya Tritiya.”

Does that sound like a name or a holiday? I’d make the same mistake for a Hindu holiday as i would a Jewish one.
Falcon_Seven

Oy vey! (Facepalm)
russ3llr

I’d never heard of Rosh Hashanna. I’m also not familiar with the major Zoroastrian holy days, nor (sadly) au fait with the Pastafarian calendar. Should I be?
Maddy

Rosh Hashanah is the new host of Air America.

Rosh vs. Rush tonight at 9!
Jenonymous

*le sigh*

Next week, this same guy will be the one running around wishing his Jewish co-workers a Happy Yom Kippur.

(For those of you wondering–the traditional seasonal wish is “have a light fast,” to be used when finding out that someone is going to be out for the holiday).

Usage example:

Me: I’m leaving early today, and taking a personal day tomorrow, for Yom Kippur.

Enlightened Boss: Sure, just be sure to set up your out-of-office notice. Have a light fast.

Actual response from my boss: “Yom Kippur? Sorry, that sounds like a kind of curry or something.” <———Mind you, this is in an office in Midtown Manhattan.
Jenonymous

Sheesh, last part of my comment got chopped. Anyway, my office is in the middle of Midtown Manhattan, and this guy has lived in suburban Westchester for 5 years, which is the surprise angle on this story.
JG

My pal Yom used to date Rosh…but that was back when they where both working some club in Jersey called the Kibbutz.
David Pescovitz

ANTINOUS @41, Tisha B’av! Brilliance. And I do understand that not everyone in the world interacts with Jewish people on a day-to-day basis, but this is HOLLYWOOD people!
gonzilla

Now that we all know who this Rosh Hashanah is. But here’s the real question. Can someone tell me who this Larry Levi is?
cstatman

i thought about this all night, and I must say.

It is the role, no the DUTY of all BoingBoing readers to learn and understand all holidays, dispersing this info to as many as possible.

especially the Pastafarian holiday ‘itsatitsayahoo” requiring all women to expose themselves to short, pudgy, balding guys named “Charles” on the first and 15th of every month.

……

:)
acb

@28: There are few Jews in England? You obviously have never been to Stamford Hill on a Saturday. More black hats than at a hacker convention.
jesushootscores

And, who is Marty Graw?
JG

I have a Jewish friend who has NO IDEA when the feast of St. Theresa Coudere is !!!
Geeze ..imagine that!!
jackie31337

I like to think I’m pretty well informed about other cultures and religions, but this reminds me of a similar mistake I made once. I was working at a preschool run by members of a religious group that originated in India. One day I answered the phone, and the caller said “Namaskar, may I speak to [name of the head teacher]?”. I informed him that she wasn’t there, but I would give her the message. When she returned, I dutifully informed her that Namaskar had called for her. Once she stopped laughing, she explained to me that “namaskar” was their traditional greeting, not the caller’s name.
xxxxxx

Most non-Jewish people dont know and/or dont care what or who Rosh Hashanah is.
grimc

Rosh Hashanah is Ross Hassan after a few drinks.
oscar

Reminds me of the old Onion article, where Jews celebrate “Rosh Hashasha or Something:”

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/32706