High Holidays time: Rabbi Dov Oliverand his wife Shevy Oiiver with 18-month-old daughter Hadassah read from the Torah, a parchment of the Bible handwritten by a scribe in Jerusalem which has been lent to him by a Melbourne synagogue. Rome cictiaNs fiacr, zoa, Rabbi calls on Jews to celebrate New Year A RAM'S horn will be sounded, apple dipped in honey and the Hebrew Bible read as more than 100 Jews gather in Cairns to pray for a prosperous future. A series of services will be held over the next three days in the city to celebrate the Jewish New Year or "Rosh Hashana", which is He-brew for "the head of the year". Dubbed High Holidays in Cairns, the event is organised by the Melbourne-based Chabad of Rural and Regional Australia, which provides support for Jews living outside Australian capital cities. Rabbi Dov Oliver said there were about 150 Jews living in Cairns and as many as 60 Israeli tourists visit-ing the city at any one time. "We basically aim to come here four times a year," he said. "This is the most significant time of the year." Services will in. chide traditional celebrations in-cluding the sounding of the ram's horn, known as the shofar. "We blow it in a certain sequence to arouse our desire to return to God and have a good year ahead," Rabbi Oliver said. Apple will be sliced up and dipped in honey to symbolise the quest for "happiness through adversity". Rabbi Oliver said a Melbourne synagogue had lent him a Torah, a parchment of the Bible handwritten by a scribe from Jerusalem. Services will be held tonight, tomorrow and Sunday and on October 1 and 2. For more Information, contact Rabbi Oliver on 0425 730 412.