A Turkish Rosh Hashanah

“A Turkish Rosh Hashanah” by Etan Basseri, illustrated by Zeynep Ozatalay, shares the story of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and how one family is busy preparing for it. When Rafael and his cousins, Alegra and Leon, go shopping in the Turkish market to prepare for their Rosh Hashanah celebration, they must find many of the items that will help their grandmother make her tasty Sephardic recipes.

When the cousins go looking for the best pomegranates from Senyor Benezra, they learn that he sings to his “agranadas,” better known in English as pomegranates. This supposedly makes the pomegranates even sweet than they might already be. However, when cats show up, Alegra is a bit frightened. What doesn’t frighten her, though, is a bully who shows up and throws one of their pomegranates, smashing it. She stands up to him, and in doing so, her courage allows her cousins to be more sure of themselves. Between the kids and the cats, the bully doesn’t last too long bothering them.

Before long, the cousins find themselves at their grandmother, Nona’s, house. She wishes them an “anyada buena,” or “happy new year,” and Nona and the kids share about the different foods and what each of their purposes is in the Rosh Hashanah meal. Apples are for sweetness, beets for freedom, leeks for friends who protect us, and so many more foods with reasons behind them. Food is shared and a nice time had by all.

The back matter of the book is especially nice, including a history of Jewish life in Turkey, more about the general background of Rosh Hashanah, a Ladino (the language they speak throughout some of the story) glossary, and more. This book shows readers a different side of Rosh Hashanah than the one they might already know living in the United States or similar places. It is important to learn different perspectives and understand how just because people share a holiday doesn’t always mean it’s celebrated quite the same.