Things might get a little quiet on Read Street later today, as I start the observance of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. We'll be kicking off the year 5771 at sundown tonight, and a part of the celebration, a symbol of a sweet new year, is a plate of apples and honey.

The 10-day holiday season has a more somber bookend: Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. But today a happy celebration begins with services, food -- what else? -- and a greeting: L'shanah tovah, which means "for a good year."

Even this holiday is a bit sobering, because of the presence of uniformed and off-duty police around the synagogues in Baltimore. That probably seems bizarre for folks who don't live in the Pikesville/Owings Mills area -- ever see police stationed outside a church on Easter? Though I can't recall a serious anti-Semitic incident on the High Holy Days, security is always a serious concern. And in an era when plenty of folks seem to delight in whipping others into a frenzy -- see Koran burning -- people can be excused for being a bit jittery.

I may also take some time during the holiday to make a dent in the latest choice for my Jewish book club: "The Informers" by Juan Gabriel Vasquez.

Happy New Year!