As a Jewish American, I naturally don’t really expect the Seattle Public School District’s calendar to be finely attuned or even particularly sensitive to my family’s personal religious preferences. Yet I do find it personally and professionally disappointing that this year’s second day of classes falls on Rosh Hashana, the second holiest day in all of Judaism.

It’s a day that even the most secular, non observant of Jews celebrate to say nothing of those of us who treasure the importance of this rich holiday in our tradition. It is a day that sees public and private schools and virtually every other institution in large cities from New York, Chicago and Los Angeles closed. And it’s a day that even a cursory glance at any calendar would have easily prevented.

It’s effectively like scheduling school on Christmas, figuratively of course, something that would rightfully cause a parental riot among majority Christians to say nothing of make national headlines. But understandably given the numbers the entire school year is scheduled around major Christian holidays so the analogy is lost. Sort of.

So what is Rosh Hashana and why is it so important to the Jewish people? It is about beginning life anew. To forgive ourselves and others, to reflect and to move on. To dream.

Here is a small piece of what Rosh Hashana means to me. I’m sorry I don’t know how to embed this particular video but here’s the link to Aish’s Dare to Dream video that I appreciate. I hope you don’t mind me taking this opportunity to share it with you.

Of course, I recognize it’s not logistically feasible to take all religions into consideration and to manage a calendar around every tradition. But as a Jew, a minority of less than 1.4 percent of the U.S. population, and about one half of one percent in Washington state, it gets tiring of always being on the losing end of the “sorry we can’t accomodate everyone” line.

As is often the case with such things in life, it’s not necessarily that they do it, it would just be nice to have them at least recognize that they are doing it. Minorities come in all shapes and sizes and a vibrant, engaged, healthy and connected sense of our own diversity is our society’s greatest strength.

And so my children will once again miss the second day of school. But they will be learning nonetheless.

Your partner in service,

Reuven.