Pho­to by Nechama Lock on Unsplash

Whether you’re host­ing a meal this year, attend­ing ser­vices, or kib­itz­ing with loved ones over how best to keep those apple slices look­ing fresh for guests, we hope you’re ush­er­ing in the new year with sweet­ness and per­se­ver­ance. As JBCers, we always bring read­ing sug­ges­tions (asked or unasked for) to the High Hol­i­day fes­tiv­i­ties we attend. So this year we’re putting togeth­er a Rosh Hashanah tast­ing menu that we hope can add fla­vor, spice, and some­thing for every­one to chew on this hol­i­day season. 

And if you’re look­ing for recipes, we invite you to sam­ple our read­ing list on cook­books!

We’d love to hear about your own Rosh Hashanah meal in books! Send us a note at: info@​jewishbooks.​org 

We sourced some of the recipes from JIME­NA, you can learn more about the incred­i­ble work they do here.

Amuse-bouche

First things first: Your Pres­ence Is Manda­to­ry by Sasha Vasi­lyuk, because how will you enjoy the meal if you don’t show up?

Now, let’s lay some ground rules before we even sit down to eat! Explore S. Bear Bergman and Saul Freedman-Lawson’s graph­ic nar­ra­tive on How to Have a Dis­agree­ment With­out Hav­ing a Fight,” excerpt­ed from the sixth issue of Paper Brigade.

Appe­tiz­ers

Apples and Honey

Apples, Apples, All Year Round: A Cel­e­bra­tion of Jew­ish Hol­i­days by Bar­bara Bietz and June Sobel, illus­trat­ed by Ruth Waters

Pome­gran­ate 

Pome­gran­ate Seeds: Latin Amer­i­can Jew­ish Tales by Nadia Gross­er Nagarajan

Yemenite Soup (Beef and White Bean Stew)

Songs for the Bro­ken­heart­ed by Ayelet Tsabari

Sam­pler Tray

Paper Brigade, Vol­ume Eight

Main Cours­es

Moroc­can-style Lamb Shanks

Mazal­tob by Blanche Ben­da­han, trans­lat­ed by Yaëlle Aza­gury and Frances Malino

Sephardic Fish in Toma­to Sauce

Kan­ti­ka by Eliz­a­beth Graver

Noo­dle Kugel

The Lit­tle Liar by Mitch Albom

Desserts

Hon­ey Cake

Sadie on a Plate by Aman­da Elliot

Apple Tarts with Goat Cheese and Honey

The Amen Effect: Ancient Wis­dom to Mend Our Bro­ken Hearts and World by Sharon Brous

Mal­i­da

On a Char­i­ot of Fire: The Sto­ry of India’s Bene Israel by Eri­ca Lyons, illus­trat­ed by Siona Benjamin

Hal­va

On Her Own by Lihi Lipid