Jay Cranman’s Rosh Hashanah Message for 2025

Rosh Hashanah is supposed to be the season of reflection and new beginnings. But this year, it’s hard for me to think about apples and honey without also thinking about the families of the hostages.

The truth is that there’s no neat blessing that makes their reality easier. Words don’t bring anyone home. But I think words do matter. Words remind us that we have not forgotten. That we carry their names into our prayers and around our holiday tables here in Atlanta.

What do we do with that? Rosh Hashanah isn’t just about looking back at where we fell short. It’s about who we want to be going forward. Maybe we can’t end wars from here, but we can decide what kind of community we’re building. We can choose not to give in to despair or indifference. We can choose to show up for one another.

To me, that’s the work of this holiday: to live out the world we want to see. One where families are reunited. Where peace has a fighting chance. Where hope is not naïve, but stubborn.

So, as the shofar blasts, I’m not hearing it as just a wake-up call to reflect, but as an alarm clock screaming, “Get up. Do better. Be Better.” Not because we can fix everything, but because all of us can fix something. Plant a tree in a neighborhood park. Mentor a kid who needs one steady adult. Stock shelves at a food pantry.

Show up at a school board meeting. Start small, start close to home, but start. Do it in the name of the hostages, and in the spirit of tikkun olam.

Shanah tovah. May this year give us the strength to be uncomfortable, the courage to create some good trouble, and, G-d willing, the safe return of those still waiting to come home.

Jay Cranman is the CEO of Jewish Family & Career Services.