Jewish families in the United States are probably paying more this year for the traditional foods eaten on Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year.
The U.S. Farm Bureau reports red delicious apples cost 27 cents more a pound this quarter than last, and honey -- for dipping the apples -- averages $4.80 a pound, up 30 cents in three months. The price of another traditional fruit, pomegranates, has doubled in recent years, The Detroit News said.
Ronit Lipsky, a teacher at Hillel Day School, told the News the higher prices are affecting her preparations.
"It's a trade-off. We'll have it all but a little less of everything," she said.
Rosh Hashana, which begins at sundown Wednesday, ushers in the 10-day period known as the High Holidays or Days of Awe. The period ends with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, on Oct. 8, when observant Jews fast.
Sharon Fishman of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., said she will be hosting 20 family members for the Rosh Hashana meal and thinks she is lucky to be doing it, whatever the cost.
"I count my blessings and I pray for the best New Year," Fishman said.