Hurricane ruins Rosh Hashana tradition

HOUSTON, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Houston's Jewish community says Hurricane Ike ruined many things, including a 60-year-old tradition of challah bread from Three Brothers Bakery.

The family owned bakery had planned to make 3,000 loaves of challah for Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year that began at sundown Monday, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Three Brothers on Brays Bayou says it sustained an estimated $1 million in wind and water damage when Hurricane Ike barreled into Texas two weeks ago.

Challah, baked in a round loaf representing the circle of life, is important to many Jewish families who dip the bread in honey at the start of the Rosh Hashana to represent the sweetness of the New Year.

Three Brothers' challah recipe dates back nearly 200 years, said bakery owner Janice Jucker, who plans to reopen the bakery in November.

"My husband is a fifth-generation baker," Jucker said. "It's genetic, how you roll out the bread and knead it with love."