Rabbi Mark Zimmerman's Rosh Hashanah Message for 2024

A Fateful New Year

This past year has been a very difficult one for the Jewish people, both in Israel and the diaspora. A year that has sorely tested our resilience and our faith.

What will 5785 bring for us and for Jewish communities around the world?

The truth is I don’t recall another High Holiday season in my lifetime when we felt as on edge as we do today. Who would have thought that in the wake of Oct. 7, the barbaric attacks on innocent civilians, that so many would turn against Israel and her very right to exist? Who would have thought that antisemitism would only continue to grow, making the diaspora feel like a place of increasing uncertainty?

And yet, as a people we have been here before. Despite all of these challenges, we have shown an extraordinary capacity for strength and solidarity.

My recent visits to Israel in the aftermath of Oct. 7 offered a profound example of this resilience. I was deeply moved by the way that internally displaced Israelis, evacuated from their homes to hotels and kibbutz guest houses, responded to their circumstances. Far from succumbing to despair, they created a new kind of community—a kibbutz of the heart. In these temporary settings, sometimes packed together in hotel lobbies, they shared their stories and found ways to sing, to pray, to support one another, and even provide care for their children and their elderly.

Many in our own community have traveled to Israel to volunteer during this fateful time. We worked in agriculture, painted bomb shelters, sorted through needed supplies in “Hamal” centers, and comforted family members who have lost loved ones or don’t even know the fate of those who were taken hostage. The power of those experiences cannot even be articulated in words.

Witnessing our collective efforts was a powerful reminder of what it means to be Jewish. We are bound together not just by shared beliefs, but by a deep-seated commitment to one another. It is this sense of collective responsibility that has allowed us to endure throughout the millennia. In times of crisis, we do not stand alone; we stand together, drawing strength from our shared history, our faith, and our community.

In the coming year, let us take this spirit of being am echad, one people, to heart. Let us draw inspiration from those who have shown us what it means to live with courage, compassion, and a deep commitment to the well-being of others.

And may 5785 be a better year for all of us.

Rabbi Mark Zimmerman is the Senior Rabbi at Congregation Beth Shalom in Dunwoody.