Residents observe Rosh Hashanah to usher in the Jewish new year

SCHENECTADY — Families gathered at the Congregation Gates of Heaven temple Tuesday to usher in the Jewish new year.

Rosh Hashanah, on Tuesday, marked the beginning of the year 5786 in the Jewish calendar, with several dozen members of the Schenectady temple taking part in an afternoon family service before the group walked to Central Park pond to take part in Tashlich, a ritual where individuals throw pieces of bread into the water to cast off the sins of the previous year.