rosh hashanah

Fellow Detroiters Offer

Holiday
Greetings

Leonard Baruch and granddaughter Ilana Block

A

s a young man growing
up in Detroit, I watched
as some of the most trau-
matic events happened to Jews
around the world, which seeped
into the consciousness of the Jews
here in Detroit. When you see
these tragedies firsthand, they are
always in your heart.”
Words like these, spoken
so frequently by members of the
Greatest Generation, expose one
of their deepest concerns: How
will the younger generations
appreciate the value of being
Jewish when society no longer
deems it a necessity?
As we have seen recently
from extremists across the world
and those in our own backyard,
there will always be forces that
are prepared to do harm. When
we choose to stand up and
participate within the Jewish
community, we are preparing to
protect ourselves, both physically
and spiritually. However, we must
not be Jewish only in the face of
tragedy; we should also celebrate

being Jewish. Helping one another
within our community is a way to
live Jewishly every day. And Rosh
Hashanah is our wake-up call.
It is our responsibility to
look after one another every
day; we don’t wait for an emer-
gency. But emergent situations
like Hurricanes Harvey and Irma
indicate that those who feel con-
nected to the world will always
step forward.
Our Jewish community has
long been a leader in taking care
of the needs of others, and we
must continue our work.
Each Jewish person should
ask himself, “Do I want to be part
of a group that is productive, that
cares, that nourishes, that sup-
ports?” If the answer is yes, then
participation in your Jewish com-
munity is the key to fulfillment.
For some of us today, partici-
pation in the Jewish community
is a given; yet others require a
specific motivation. Realizing
that what we do today will be
beneficial and galvanizing to
our children, grandchildren and

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September 14 • 2017

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