rosh hashanah »

New Year’s
Wishes

What we’re
hoping for
in 5777.

COMMUNITY WISHES
Here are some answers and plans of action from fellow DJN readers and
members of the Jewish community of Metro Detroit.

“I wish for fairness and patience in both myself and others,
and I yearn for an end to violence against all living crea-
tures.”

— Debbie Szobel Logan, Bloomfield Hills

I

t sounds almost like a beauty pageant
But we must. Today’s problems provide
question: If today were the world’s
us with plenty of food for thought as we
birthday, what would you wish for it?
prepare spiritually for the Jewish New Year
Judaism truly does have a birthday for
of 5777.
the world, and that day, or days, is Rosh
MY WISHES
Hashanah.
So, imagine if the world could wish. Would
The Machzor, the prayer book we read
it wish to heal itself of climate change, the
during the High Holiday season, literally
threat of species loss and the melting
translates into “cycle.” Within
of the polar ice caps? Does the world
it is the prayer Hayom Harat
care about the problems man has
Olam, or “the world stands at
hoisted upon itself, like war, terrorism,
birth.”
disease, hatred and bigotry?
During the Hebrew month
It has been four years since I was
of Elul, the period before Rosh
first assigned to write for the Detroit
Hashanah, it is traditional for
Jewish News as a newcomer prepar-
Jews to take the time to think
ing myself and my family for our first
and reflect on their deeds and
year in Detroit, starting with our first
actions, make a plan on how to Stacy
Gittleman
High Holiday season. As I have come
improve upon themselves and,
Contributing Writer
to settle down and actually feel my
in turn, how to improve the
Detroit roots start to grow, my own
world around them for the next
wishes take not a global but an urban and
orbit around the sun.
suburban scale.
As part of this preparation, the Detroit
In my own backyard, I wish for my
Jewish News posed this question to its
neighborhood to be a safe and welcoming
readers, to their families, children and
grandchildren, and the Detroit Jewish com- place where kids play, and bees and but-
terflies hum around in gardens free from
munity at large.
pesticides.
According to Genesis, when God created
My wish is for the city and all the citi-
the world, He knew it would be incom-
zens of Detroit to experience a remarkable
plete. Imperfect. That’s why he created us:
comeback — to have a fair shot to be able
humans, to enter into a partnership with
to compete and succeed. And that truly
Him to look after the Earth and repair it.
cannot happen until the schools come back.
A BIG TODO LIST
Over the years writing here, I am happy
These days, the Earth — from the global to to cover members of the Detroit Jewish
the most local levels — needs lots of heal-
community who take the time to volunteer
ing. From the broken schools in Detroit
to help Detroit schoolchildren with read-
where only 47 percent of adults are func-
ing and math, who set up a back-to-school
tionally literate to our polarized and ugly
store for the neediest children to have
presidential election cycle.
new clothes and gear for that first day of
From the fires in California and floods
school through the National Council of
in Louisiana to the spread of the Zika
Jewish Women, and the bar and bat mitz-
virus, the plague of opioid addiction now
vah students who donate new and gently
in almost every town in America, and the
used sports equipment so Detroit kids can
slaughter in Syria and Iraq creating the
experience the same joy of athletics they do
worst refugee crisis since WWII.
on the field. Not to mention the legions of
In the Jewish world, we face growing
teen and millennial Jews giving their time
anti-Semitism from the college campus to
to Detroit through organizations such as
a global level as the world grapples with
PeerCorps and Repair the World.
growing radical Islam.
Over the coming year, I also wish to hear
Indeed, the problems are overwhelming.
from more of you as we continue to wish,
Are we truly up to the task of being God’s pray, and take action to make our world a
partners in a time like this?
better place.

Itty Shemtov and her children: Mendel, 22, Levi, 20, Zelig, 18, Yisrolik, 16,
Mussi, 14, Tzemach, 11, Chanale, 9, and Rochel and Meir, both 6.

“The Jewish New Year celebrates creation brought to
completion with Adam and Eve. As their descendants, we
are God’s partners to fulfi ll the purpose of creation. I hope
and pray that each and every one of us discovers our in-
ner purpose and does our piece of the puzzle to make the
world a better place.”

— Itty Shemtov, West Bloomfield

“There are so many problems to solve, and we can’t fi x
them all so let’s pick one. Sept. 11 made me think about how
terrible terrorists are. Since this most recent anniversary,
I’ve been thinking if we could put a stop to terrorist attacks,
the world would be much a better place. First, you have to
convince people that terrorists are terrible, and then tell the
terrorists to stop. But that is only a dream, a wish for Rosh
Hashanah.”

— Ayelet Kaplan, 10, Huntington Woods, student at Hillel Day School

“I would wish for fewer wars and more world
peace. I wish for a lot less hate, a lot less rac-
ism and a lot more love.”

— Olivia Bloom, 12, Birmingham,
student at Derby Middle School

“I wish for ISIS to be defeated and that an-
other terror group to replace it does not rear
its ugly head! I wish all tyrannical leaders on
Earth could be replaced by truly righteous
ones.”

Olivia Bloom

— Jane Kaner Foreman, West Bloomfield

continued on page 44

42 September 29 • 2016