Laura Kurlander-Nagel’s Rosh Hashanah Message for 2026

For the past few years, we’ve spent the High Holidays and time beyond praying for the release of the hostages and the end to the wave of antisemitism throughout the world. During this election year, I am praying for unity within our Jewish community. We are living in a world where the far left and the far right have united in their Jew hatred. We are threatened by the existential threat to the State of Israel. But, as we all know, the Jewish community is filled with diverse thoughts and opinions, particularly with respect to the actions of the Israeli government. In our efforts to defend Israel or oppose antisemitism, let us not become so extreme that we lose sight of the Jewish values we are trying to protect. I think often of the phrase Tzedek, tzedek tirdof — “Justice, justice shall you pursue,” which captures a central Jewish value — standing up against injustice and creating a fairer society.
The Atlanta Jewish community has the opportunity to model something the world desperately needs: unity without uniformity, conviction without condemnation, and disagreement without division. Let’s spend less time fighting one another and more time working together to repair our world.
Shanah Tovah.

Laura Kurlander-Nagel is Co-President, National Council of Jewish Women – Atlanta.