Renee Kutner’s Rosh Hashanah Message for 2026

As we enter the High Holidays, I find myself thinking about what it means to inherit a tradition, and what it means to be responsible for passing it on.
This year, that question is deeply personal. My father, Mark Safra z”l, died just weeks ago, and the 30-day mourning period for him ends on Erev Rosh Hashanah (the eve of Rosh Hashanah). As I have mourned him, I have thought often about one of the greatest gifts he gave me: Yiddishkeit (Jewishness).
My parents worked hard to create a Jewish home for my siblings and me, but what my father passed down went beyond Jewish education or experiences. Judaism was simply woven into the rhythm of our lives, from Jewish music on long car rides to Shabbat mornings at synagogue to hearing him prepare each week to read Torah.
He taught me, without ever needing to say it, that Jewish life does not sustain itself automatically. Every generation has to choose to build it.
Now it is our turn.
That responsibility feels especially significant today. We have lived through extraordinary pain and uncertainty, rising antisemitism, and difficult questions about what it means to live openly and proudly as Jews. We continue to carry Israel and Israelis in our hearts.
And yet, this has also been a time of extraordinary Jewish resilience, pride, and connection.
The High Holidays ask us to reflect not only on what has happened to us, but on who we want to be because of it. For me, that means refusing to allow fear to define the Jewish future we build for our children.
Our children need to know that being Jewish connects them to something larger than themselves: to their families, to Jews in their own communities and around the world, to Israel, and to generations who came before them.
They will learn that not only from what we tell them, but from what they see us do: when we celebrate together, care for someone in need, show up for Jews we may never meet, and choose connection even when being Jewish feels difficult.
Strong communities care for their people, and people who feel cared for build strong communities.
And we may not always see the impact of those choices immediately. The child who goes to Jewish camp today may become the leader who holds a community together decades from now. A tradition passed from parent to child may become an anchor in a moment we could never have anticipated.
I think of no greater way to honor my dad than to carry forward what he gave me, helping ensure that we give that same sense of identity, belonging, and responsibility to those who come after us.
This Rosh Hashanah, may we give the next generation a Jewish life they will be proud to inherit, and inspired to keep building.
L’shanah tovah u’metukah.

Renee Kutner is the President & CEO of Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta.