As I begin writing this week's column, reports are flooding in about Iran's latest missile attack on Israel as retaliation for Israel's defensive campaign in Lebanon as it tries to create a buffer zone so its citizens in the north can return to their homes safely. (Click here to read a Current Update on the Situation in Israel from JFNA’s President and CEO Eric Fingerhut and Chair Julie Platt (who will be attending our community’s October 7^th Commemoration on Sunday, October 6. See details in ad below my message)

 

Earlier today, I and Jewish leaders from around the country were supposed to hear President Biden's annual Rosh Hashanah greeting. Understandably, following Iran's missile attack on Israel, that greeting has been postponed.

 

Of course, all of this is taking place as the Jewish world prepares to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, our Jewish New Year, beginning tomorrow night at sundown.

 

Even with the festive atmosphere that should surround the start of 5785, our hearts and minds turn eastward as we continue to live both in the shadow and the present of October 7, with the one-year anniversary looming on Monday.

 

While this year's High Holy Day services may resemble others you have attended and experienced, they may feel very different than in years past.

 

In an AP story published yesterday, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, said the confluence of the Holy Days and the October 7 anniversary has created "an impossible moment" for all of us. He noted that the liturgy for Rosh Hashanah includes the question, "Who will live and who will die (in the coming year)?" "That's going to resonate in a different way this year, for certain," Jacobs said, evoking October 7 as "a day of unbelievable grief in a war that is not only not ending, but maybe expanding."

 

What we are continuing to witness and experience is unchartered territory, so sadly, there is no blueprint or plan for us to follow regarding what we can expect. However, I can tell you that this is what the power of being part of a community is all about—having these experiences, albeit in our own lives, together. I share this idea so that even while chaos is swirling around us, it is imperative that you keep in mind that you are not alone.

 

Our Jewish Federation, along with our community partners, and as part of the Southern California Jewish Security Alliance (which includes the ADL Los Angeles, Jewish Federation Los Angeles' Community Security Initiative, and Community Security Services) are working every day to help ensure that our Jewish community is as safe as we can possibly be. As US Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a press conference this past Friday, describing Rosh Hashanah, "[f]or Jews, this is a period of solemn reflection and prayer. It is a time to gather to worship and to be in community with each other. It should not be a time of fear."

 

I hope you keep this idea in mind, knowing that the collective leadership of our Jewish world is working tirelessly each day, myself included, to ensure our Jewish community is protected and able to fully and proudly live our lives as Jews.

 

As we enter 5785 tomorrow evening, on behalf of myself (and my family), along with the Jewish Federation's Board of Governors and Staff, I wish you L'shana Tova Umetukah v' Tikatevu (may we all be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life). May the year ahead be filled with good health, happiness, and lasting peace.