Efrat Chief Rabbi Shlomo Riskin has announced his opposition to Jews celebrating the secular New Year, known as "Sylvester" in Israel.
In a special interview with Arutz Sheva, Riskin asserted that secular New Year's festivities are not compatible with the Jewish spirit.
He explained that Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, has far-reaching spiritual meaning throughout the year, while the secular New Year was created by the Romans as an expression of "debauchery."
Riskin qualified there was no biblical prohibition against celebrating, but noted he felt there was a rabbinic one.