Ronit Franco-Pinsky's Rosh Hashanah Message for 2024

Rosh Hashanah and the High Holiday season is my favorite time of year. The changing weather and vibrant leaves signal new beginnings and a moment for reflection on the past year.

Over the last century, our Jewish community has experienced significant evolution and change. My family is originally from Thessaloniki, Greece, where they lived in a Jewish quarter that boasted a population of 70,000 Jews until the mid-1930s, where the Jewish New Year was celebrated with family and friends and the local synagogue served as a gathering place. Following that, they immigrated to Israel therefore, thankfully, escaping the Holocaust.

Growing up in Israel, Rosh Hashanah was always particularly special to me. My neighborhood transformed into a festive atmosphere; we all wore white and gathered for large family dinners. My aunt’s honey apple cake was legendary, and the aroma of fresh, sweet challah still lingers in my memory. Here in Atlanta, I cherish the yearly get-together with other Jewish families for the new year. I love being with my girls and my husband. We eat, laugh, and enjoy each other.

As we approach the first anniversary of Oct. 7, which coincided with Simchat Torah, this year Rosh Hashanah will carry a different weight for the entire Jewish community worldwide.

While we celebrate and welcome the new Jewish year, we must not forget our brothers and sisters—those hostages who will still be unable to return home to their loved ones. In Israel, my family and friends are planning to gather for dinner, holding their traditions close while praying for our soldiers and those still held captive. It will be a bittersweet New Year.

Here in the Diaspora, amidst rising antisemitism, we remain strong and resilient. Our patience for ignorance and unjustified hate is waning; we will not apologize for defending our security. In Israel, we will not let our enemies defeat us. We will raise our glasses, toast the new year, enjoy apples dipped in honey, and celebrate life.

The last 100 years have presented the Jewish community in Israel and abroad with numerous challenges with tremendous adversity, yet we have remained steadfast in our fight for existence. This past year has been particularly tough, but we have survived. Oct. 7 will forever be a reminder of our need to stand united, and we will prevail.

Shanah Tova and Am Yisrael Chai.

Ronit Franco-Pinsky is the Executive Assistant for the Atlanta Jewish Times.