UW Schools Keep Start Date On Jewish Holiday

Six University of Wisconsin System schools are moving ahead with start dates on the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah despite calls for change.

UW-Madison, UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Parkside, UW-Stout and UW-Superior all have scheduled classes to begin Sept. 7 or Sept. 8, the Tuesday and Wednesday after Labor Day. Rosh Hashanah, which marks the start of the Jewish new year, starts unusually early this year, beginning on Sept. 6 and ending on Sept. 8.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports the six campuses sent a letter to UW System President Tommy Thompson in June expressing varying levels of regret. But some Jewish professors and students have already decided they will miss the first day of class.