May the New Year
bring to all our friends
and family
health, joy, prosperity and
everything good in life.

Rosh Hashanah

2016
5777

Judi Schneider

Brett, Patty,
Caidey, Zack & Caroline,
Bryan, Arryn, Ethan & Avery
Brad, Molly, D.J. & Anna
Brandon, Alexandra

May the New Year
bring to all our friends
and family
health, joy, prosperity and
everything good in life.

Rosh Hashanah

2016
5777

Jack Backalar

rosh hashanah »

continued from page 42

“For me, Rosh Hashanah
provides the opportunity to
pause, take a deep breath
… and another breath. In
between those very deep
breaths, I refl ect on all that is
good and all that needs to be
good. I understand that one
person alone cannot make it
all good. And that my good
might not be someone else’s.
Understand that little steps
add up. So on Rosh Hashanah,
I make a promise to make the
world a little bit better — so
the good can grow and then
invite others to join me.”

— Sharona Shapiro, West
Bloomfield, active in many volun-
teer activities for literacy, women,
the homeless and food justice

“My wish for the world on
its birthday is that the world
should be a better place. I
wish the world success in
being the best world it can
be. The way I can person-
ally assist in helping achieve
this wish for the world is that
for every day that goes by, I
engage in small (and large)
acts of kindness and goodness
directed toward man and the
Earth.”

— Renee Siege Nadiv,
Huntington Woods

May the coming year be filled
with health, happiness and prosperity
for all our family and friends.

Hannah Myers of Franklin, Rachel
Fine of Detroit and Emily Lulkin of
Bloomfield Hills volunteer in Detroit.

Dr. Jeffrey and Laurie Fischgrund
Michelle, Marcy, Mark
Andrew and Melanie

44 September 29 • 2016

“As the world blows out its
birthday candles on Rosh
Hashanah, I would wish for all
of its inhabitants to open their
minds. There are many nega-
tive stereotypes and fears
surrounding people who are
different from ourselves, but

we can change that.
“Through my past two years
volunteering in Detroit, I have
gained such an apprecia-
tion for human differences. I
have met and learned from so
many amazing people who are
completely different from me,
whether they practice a differ-
ent religion, speak a different
language or are a different
race.
“If more people were open-
minded, the world would not
be fi lled with nearly as much
confl ict. I, as a single person,
cannot ‘repair the world,’ but
my hope is that if many peo-
ple join in, by spreading love
and acceptance, as opposed
to hate, we can truly make a
positive impact.”

— Hannah Myers, 17,
PeerCorps mentor leader, senior at
Wylie E. Groves High School
in Beverly Hills

“My obvious wish for the
world is peace. As an ac-
tive member of the Jewish
Women’s Renaissance Project,
I have learned that to make
change in the world we must
fi rst empower and transform
ourselves as women, as moms,
as families and as members of
society through our Jewish val-
ues. Just like I learned from my
trip to Israel, when you inspire
a woman, you can inspire a
whole community and change
the world.
“The best way to do that,
as my kids are learning from
their teachers at Hillel, is to
raise children to be mentshes.
I see it as my responsibility
that my children are mentshes
now at 5 and 3 and grow up to
be mentsh-like adults. When
I empower myself with Jew-
ish knowledge, I can bring
Jewish values and beliefs into
our home and ultimately raise
kids who are good Jewish kids.
The greatest action I can do
for the world, as I see it, is to
help create peace by raising
mentsh-like children and be-
ing a mentsh myself.”

— Elizabeth Schafer, AISH
2016 Summer Momentum trip
participant and mother of two

