Photo Credit: Avi Ohayon / GPO
President Joe Biden on Sunday issued a Rosh Hashanah greeting saying:
On Rosh Hashanah, Jewish communities around the world celebrate the world’s birth and commemorate the creation of humankind.
Rosh Hashanah and the Days of Awe that follow charge those who celebrate to pause, look inward, and reflect on the past year. It is a time to undertake an inventory of the soul, a cheshbon hanefesh, and to ask of ourselves and of each other questions that go beyond our own individual faiths: Who do I want to be? What type of nation do we want to forge? What type of world do we want to create?
That is the message and gift of the Jewish New Year – a reminder of our infinite capacity to transform our lives and begin anew. To partner with the Divine and our fellow human beings in the ongoing work of creation. To rebuild our communities through empathy, acts of kindness, and compassion. To seek repentance, or teshuva, when we have fallen short of our values. Rosh Hashanah is a reaffirmation that we are each endowed, by virtue of our Creator and our common humanity, with the ability to bridge the gap between the world we see and the world we seek.
In that effort, we’ve made significant progress, but much work remains. To protect ourselves and each other against a once-in-a-century virus. To rebuild an economy that provides opportunity for all Americans. To give hate no safe harbor, and speak out with clarity and conviction against antisemitism wherever and however it manifests. To reaffirm our ironclad bond with the State of Israel.
May the year 5782 be a year of health, healing, and progress. And may we all be inscribed in the Book of Life.
Jill and I extend our warmest wishes to all those celebrating Rosh Hashanah in the United States, Israel, and around the world.
Shanah Tovah U’Metukah. May it be a sweet, healthy, and happy new year.
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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Sunday called Israeli President Isaac Herzog to congratulate him on taking office and sent him his greetings for Rosh Hashanah:
Egypt’s President al-Sisi called me tonight to wish the Israeli people a happy . We discussed bilateral issues and shared national interests. I thanked President al-Sisi for his important role pursuing regional stability and peace and we agreed to stay in contact????
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog)
Finally, here is Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s Rosh Hashanah greeting:
Citizens of Israel, we have many good reasons to be proud this Rosh Hashanah.
I am proud of our ability as a people to unite and join hands.
I am very proud of our new government – a government of much goodwill, a government that cooperates and is coordinated and balanced, that works only for the benefit of the people, and in which ministers do not bear grudges against each other.
I am proud that we fought for the livelihoods of the citizens of Israel and have reached the beginning of this year without lockdowns, in contrast to the previous waves in which the country was in lockdown. This was not easy, neither was it perfect, but with G-d’s help, we succeeded. You can go to work or relax at home, in a hotel or restaurant, or arrange to go out with friends according to the directives. The country is open and this was not a given. It is still too early to celebrate, we have a long campaign ahead of us, but we take each step and deal with it.
I am proud of the two million pupils who returned to school and preschool a few days ago. We insisted on it. We created the conditions for it. We will continue to safeguard our education system and cultivate the future generation of the State of Israel.
I am proud of our ability, after years without a budget, to formulate a state budget, set long-term priorities, especially strengthening and building up our security, strengthening the health system and enacting a series of reforms that will lower prices in Israel.
I am also proud that we have embarked on bringing the ultra-orthodox public into the labor cycle.
I am very pleased at our efforts in the diplomatic sphere. We are strengthening the link with the US and with the President, and the existing alliance, and are laying the foundations for new alliances.
I am proud of the soldiers of the IDF and the personnel of the security services who work near and far so that the miracle called ‘the State of Israel’ may continue to radiate strength, and will continue to defend and protect the citizens of our country.
And mainly, I am proud of you, citizens, for placing confidence in this government and giving it your backing. I have also seen you on the issue of vaccines, going to get vaccinated because you know that the third dose will give you health and protection, and will allow us to open the economy. I very much appreciate this.
I would like to wish all of you a good year, a good year for your families, for friends and – of course – for the soldiers of the IDF and the security forces.
May you have a good and sweet year.
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