Rabbi Joshua Heller's Rosh Hashanah Message for 2024

Mazal tov to the Atlanta Jewish times on 100 years of service to our Jewish community! The Hebrew word for year, “Shanah” comes from a root that has many additional meanings. It can mean to change, but it can also imply repetition. The spirit of these two meanings guides us when we compare Atlanta’s Jewish community of 5785, today when compared with 5685, let alone to consider what the world might be like in 5885.

In the spirit of Shanah, meaning change, a time traveler from Atlanta 100 years ago, in 5685 would be astonished to see that the community has gone from a few thousand Jews to over 100,000, from a handful of congregations to over 40, and that we have spread out from a few neighborhoods near the city center to the far reaches of a sprawling metro area. They would be surprised by the religious shifts that have taken place- Atlanta now has many mikvaot and Jewish day schools, and the rabbis at the temple wear kippot. They would also be astonished at the idea that there would be female rabbis, let along LGBTQ colleagues. I wonder how Jews were still wrestling with the innovation of driving to synagogue would respond to people staying home to watch services on screen.

Despite the real challenges of antisemitism that we still face, they would be jealous of our comforts given the institutionalized bias, and sometimes violent hate that pervaded the South, I can’t even imagine what 5885 will bring. I pray that American society as a whole, and Georgia in particular, will still be hospitable to our Jewish community, though there are no guarantees. Assuming they are, where in Atlanta will Jews live? What new forms and flavors of Jewish expression will emerge? The Jewish times is adapting to the move away from print media. What will communications look like?

In the spirit of Shanah, meaning repetition, I imagine that some things will remain the same. The names and locations of the synagogues and the alphabet soup of organizations may evolve, but Jews will continue to seek community, pray, learn and help each other, with the certainty that there will always be the “synagogue I don’t set foot in.” There will still be brisses and B’nai Mitzvah, weddings and funerals, and, unless tuna and salmon go extinct, kiddush lunch. Jews will still gather to seek meaning on the high holidays, dipping apples in honey, breaking the fast, and praying for blessings one year at a time.

Rabbi Joshua Heller is the Senior Rabbi of Congregation B’nai Torah.