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Multiple Choices Exist
For Shanah Tova Salutes

PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

Editor Emeritus

S

hanah Tovah is heard
again as the greeting
by many millions of
our people and many mill-
ions of others inspired by
Rosh Hashanah to hope and
pray for the welfare, peace
and security of all peoples
everywhere.
There are numerous
designations and solem-
nities associated with Rosh
Hashanah. They provide for
scores of spiritual salutes.
In Jewish Concepts by
Philip Birnbaum, we find
explained some of the glories
of Rosh Hashanah:

Marking the Jewish New
Year with which Jewish
chronology begins, Rosh
Hashanah occurs on the
first day of the seventh
month (Tishrei), the holy
month of the year just as
the seventh day in the
week is a holy day. The
sabbatical year and the
year of jubilee were
likewise designed to begin
on the seventh month, cor-
responding to September
or October, when the an-
nual agricultural cycle
began in Eretz Yisrael.
Since early times Rosh
Hashanah has been
regarded as a day of reflec-
tion and repentance, essen-
tially concerned with the
individual and his ideal
way on earth. Rosh
Hashanah and Yom Kip-
pur are characterized by
special solemnity and
referred to as Yamim
Nora'im (Days of Awe)
when all mankind stands
before the divine throne for
judgment.
Rosh Hashanah tradi-
tionally marks the creation
of the world. Medieval
writers noted that the let-
ters with which the Book
of Genesis begins the ac-
count of creation, could be
rearranged to read as the
first day of the month
Tishrei, when the Jewish
New Year is celebrated.
The Talmud emphasizes
the importance of Rosh
Hashanah not only as the
birthday of the world, but
also as the festival com-
memorating some of the
most dramatic events in
Israel's history. We are told
that God remembered
Sarah on the first day of
Rosh Hashanah; Isaac was
born on Rosh Hashanah;

Hannah was remembered
on Rosh Hashanah, and
her son Samuel was the
answer to her prayers at
the sanctuary of Shilo.

The characteristics of Rosh
Hashanah merge into a uni-
versalism that makes our
festivities of great value and
inspiration to all mankind.
Every individual's life
should strive to create pro-
ductively as well as be
humanly elevating.
An explanatory
characteristic from The En-

cyclopedia of the Jewish Re-
ligion adds the following:

Four different dates in
the calendar are mention-
ed in the Mishnah as being
the New Year for different
specific purposes.
One of these dates had
acquired the religious
significance of an annual
day of judgement and the
Mishnah states: "On Rosh
Hashanah all that comes
into the world pass before
Him like flocks of sheep?'
The Talmud connects this

reference to Tishrei 1, the
beginning of the ancient
agricultural year.
Tishrei 1 is the only one
of the four New Years to be
specified in the Bible as a
festival although no men-
tion is made of it there as
the New Year. The soun-
ding of the shofar is one of
the distinctive features of
the religious celebration of
the festival, and has large-
ly determined the charac-
ter of the liturgy of the day,
particularly the Additional
Service.

Entire libraries have been
compiled with consideration
of the life-inspiring idealism
of Rosh Hashanah. The
many millions of words in-
corporating them keep uplif-
ting our spirits and
humanizing our devotion
commencing with the fes-
tival which Hebraically is
the "head of the year." It is
with the salute to all on this
sacred occasion that we keep
reasserting the message of

Shanah Tova. ❑

NEWS)

Russian Anti-Semite
Won't Quit Post

New York (JTA) — Jews
and academics have ex-
pressed dismay and conster-
nation at a Russian anti-
Semite's refusal to resign his
position as a foreign associ-
ate of the U.S. National
Academy of Sciences.
But the protesters seem to
have no legal recourse to
force Igor Shafarevich, who
heads the mathematical in-
stitute of the Russian Acad-
emy of Sciences, to quit his
American post.
Responding to a written
request to consider stepping
down, Mr. Shafarevich sent
a letter to the U.S. academy
acknowledging he has
criticized in writing Jewish
groups and Jewish nation-
alism in Russia.
He said this did not con-
stitute anti-Semitism,
however, and refused to give
up his position with the U.S.
academy.
He said that resigning his
membership, which he has
held since 1974, would vali-
date the accusation of anti-
Semitism contained in the
letter to him signed by
Frank Press, president. of the

National Academy of
Sciences, and James
Wyngaarden, its foreign sec-
retary.
Replying to Mr.
Shafarevich's refusal to
resign, the National Acad-
emy issued a statement say-
ing the organization "stands
by its earlier letter" to the
mathematician.
Mr. Press said he would
take no further action
against Mr. Shafarevich be-
cause the academy has no
rules to govern this situa-
tion. In fact, the academy
could not even ask Mr.
Shafarevich to resign but
only to consider the move.
"We would be pleased if he
would resign. But we cannot
force him to do so."
In their letter to Mr.
Shafarevich, Mr. Press and
Mr. Wyngaarden pointed out
that the Steklov Institute,
Russia's premier
mathematical institution,
which he heads, discrimina-
tes against Jews.
They also wrote of their
"strong aversion" to Mr.
Shafarevich's anti-Semitic
writings.