Rabbi Alexandria Shuval-Weiner's Rosh Hashanah Message for 2025

Rabbi Alexandria Shuval-Weiner shares her thoughts and inspiration for the new year.

How quickly the months fly by, so much life has been lived! It is hard to believe that we find ourselves again on the cusp of another new year. Another Rosh Hashanah, pregnant with possibility, bringing with it the hope for a better tomorrow. And yet, as we prepare to greet 5786, with sweet wishes and meaningful worship, our beloved Eretz Israel, as of this writing, is still at war. There remain beautiful souls, hostages who after more than 700 days continue to languish in the meitzar, the dark and narrow places of Gaza. And everywhere in this world, too many innocent people continue to suffer. While many of us have known much joy and blessing over the previous year, still much pain and longing has settled into our collective hearts.

And yet, I hold fast to the age-old promise of the world redeemed to a future where the Jewish nation continues to blossom into a beautiful home for all its inhabitants; a sanctuary of peace for those who seek to live in mutual respect and peaceful coexistence; Jewish, Christian, Druze and Muslim alike.

And so, my message first to the people of Israel is this: We, your diaspora family, are committed to you and the ongoing work of bringing that reality of peace to fruition.

And to the families of the hostages: You are not alone! We see you and you are heard. Do not give up hope! We are here praying, advocating, marching, and petitioning every day for the return of our sons, daughters, spouses and parents, and we will never give up until everyone is home.

Finally, my wish for us all is this; may the blast of the Shofar be a clarion call to each heart to awaken now. May it rouse us out of our complacency and awaken us to the needs of our families, our nation, the Land of Israel and our world. May the blasts serve as an unwavering call of courage, of action and the unbreakable promise of hope that we can and must do our part to build that world of Shalom, of peace-for ourselves and the generations to come.

Shana Tovah and may this year bring us all to a better place.