JERUSALEM — Israelis ushered in the Jewish New Year on Wednesday evening amid new fears of war, following fresh rocket attacks from Gaza and reports of an Israeli airstrike in Syria.

At the same time, however, a flurry of diplomacy with the Palestinians has revived peacemaking for the first time in seven years.

The Rosh Hashana holiday, followed 10 days later by Yom Kippur — the Day of Atonement — is traditionally a time for taking stock of spiritual and cultural values, and Israelis were in thoughtful mood in the hours before the start of the holiday, at sunset.

Jewish families celebrate Rosh Hashana by eating apples and honey and other traditional foods symbolizing sweetness and prosperity. The holiday this year falls on the same day as the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, so as Jews sit down for festive family dinners, Muslim families will also gather for a special meal ahead of their month of sunrise-to-sunset fasting.