Many Jewish residents of Rockland County celebrated Rosh Hashanah Tuesday by participating in the tradition of casting sins upon the waters.

At the sound of the shofar, a trumpet made from a ram's horn, dozens of people gathered at Veteran's Memorial Park in Orangeburg to start the year 5769 on the Jewish calendar from a clean slate.

"We want to begin the process of having our sins forgiven by God, sins committed in the past and be written in the book of Life for the coming year," says Rabbi Daniel Pernick.

The first of the High Holidays in Judaism, Rosh Hashanah is a time for the community to come together, learn from each other and share in faith and fellowship.

On this day, it is customary for Jewish people to wish each other Shana tova - a good year. Many of the people who came out to Veteran?s Memorial Park Tuesday hope the coming year will indeed be a good one.

Matt Litwin, of Upper Saddle River, wished to do better in school and get straight A?s, while Cheryl Rudnitsky, of Tappan, expressed hope that the economy will recover.