Conn. school district bid to demote Rosh Hashanah fails to pass board vote

Stamford Public Schools, a school district in Stamford, Conn., voted 5-3 last week to remove Columbus Day and Veterans Day as official holidays that require the school to be closed, the Stamford Advocate reported.

Joshua Esses, who pushed to have the days removed for the next two school years, said the school year was otherwise ending too late, in mid-June.

He also sought to downgrade Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday, and the second day of Rosh Hashanah as official school holidays. That motion “received no support from the rest of the board,” per the Advocate.

In rabbinic tradition, Rosh Hashanah is considered a yomah arichtah, or one long day, rather than two days.