DUSHANBE, September 10, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- The Israeli authorities have taken Tajikistan off a list of countries that they consider unsafe and avoidable for Israeli citizens, NEWSru.co.il reports referring to a statement released by Israel’s National Staff for the Fight against Terrorism on September 9.

Meanwhile, the Israeli authorities advise Israeli nationals to refrain from traveling to Sinai during the upcoming Jewish holidays, and not to visit Turkey unnecessarily.

Israeli nationals are also advised to refrain from traveling to Tunisia and Nigeria.   

This year, the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah (literally “head of the year”), will occur on the following days of the Georgian calendar: sunset September 28, 2011 – nightfall September 30, 011.  It is the first of the High Holidays or Yamim Noraim ("Days of Awe"), celebrated ten days before Yom Kippur.  Rosh Hashanah is observed on the first two days of Tishrei, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. 

Rosh Hashanah occurs 163 days after the first day of Passover (Pesach). In terms of the Gregorian calendar, the earliest date on which Rosh Hashanah can fall is September 5, as happened in 1899 and will happen again in 2013.  The latest Rosh Hashanah can occur relative to the Gregorian dates is on October 5, as happened in 1967 and will happen again in 2043.  After 2089, the differences between the Hebrew calendar and the Gregorian calendar will result in Rosh Hashanah falling no earlier than September 6.

Although the Jewish calendar is based on the lunar cycle, so that the first day of each month originally began with the first sighting of a new moon, since the fourth century it has been arranged so that Rosh Hashanah never falls on a Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday