AppleTree@.cOm Something New For A New Year Mark Lichterman AppleTree Staff Writer Walled UV* roy/Rochester 39800 14 Mile 6046 Rochester Rd. (248) 669-033 (248) 879-1010 M-50 'Hall Rd . CLOSET COMPA re) Wishing ../ed Our Clients & Friends A Happy & 5kaithy .Vw Year! 9/26 1997 62 Cathi otegton Own NitztA 626-5520 here is no need to look at a calendar. Spend a few minutes outdoors any evening and you know, even though the leaves have not yet begun to change, summer has gone. For those of us with children, the start of school has occupied the last few weeks. Once the big adjust- ment has been made, however, we face Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The challenge is to make these two events important and meaning- ful family and religious experiences, as opposed to the obligatory drudgery that they have become for so many. Although they don't pro- vide a complete solution, Web sites provide some alternatives. The first thing I noticed when I ven- tured into the Jewish Web is an increase in both the quantity and quality of Rosh Hashanah sites. Many more seem to take advantage of improved technology by including inter-activity apd sound through the use of the Real Audio Player. The first place I went to look for sites was a search engine called "The Maven." Located at http://www.maven.co.il , this tool provides easy access to anything even vaguely, Jewish. I decided to simply type the words "Rosh Hashanah" and goof, off I went. My first stop was a site operated out of Montreal, http://www.web- com.com/rel/shanatov.html, through which for $15 Canadian you can send new year's greetings to the world. Just think, if he so desired, some guy from Madagascar could see that Moshe Pipick in Montreal wishes his family in New York a happy new year. What a world we live in. Since food obviously plays a great role in Rosh Hashanah, almost every site has some sort of recipe page. I found the recipe for an elegant tradi- ‘) tional meal at http://www.bpe .com/food/recipes/fiszer/rosh.html . From soup to nuts this site provides detailed instructions on preparing a (---\ number of traditional foods, and does a particularly good job of explaining the symbolism of each. Several sites approach the season in a comprehensive way. The site at http://www.holidays.net/highholy- days has a complete and easy-to- understand description of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The site opens with greetings, the dates of the holidays and a map to guide you. The best site I found for younger children is at http://www.virtual .co.il/cityservices/holidays/rosh/ki dsclub.html. Located in Virtual Jerusalem, this "Kid's Club" provides ideas and instructions for projects off line. There are the obligatory –/ coloring pages — the candles, sho- L\ far, traditional foods — which you can print. Children also are given clear and well-illustrated instructions about making a Jewish calendar. ,±\ There are three greeting cards, all of which look fun and relatively easy. Clearly, such projects are intended not only to provide an enjoyable hands-on project, but also to foster discussions, away from the comput- er, about the importance of the Days of Awe. May you all have a happy and healthy new year.