‘A time to celebrate and create joyful memories’

I send my very best wishes to the Australian Jewish community as you celebrate the beginning of a new year.

Since ancient times, Rosh Hashanah and the High Holy Days have been a precious time for Jewish people to gather with family and friends, share symbolic meals, and reflect on the year just passed and the one ahead. It is a time to celebrate and create joyful memories that add to what Rabbi Raymond Apple so memorably called “a mosaic of moments”.

Jewish rituals and traditions have long been part of the modern Australian story, and over the 10 days of introspection and prayer that culminate in Yom Kippur, Jewish Australians delve deeper into their faith and are reminded of what is most important.

I am deeply grateful to the Australian Jewish community for your remarkable contribution to our nation. Your long and important presence in Australia has shaped our culture and society for the better.

This year, the High Holy Days again feel the terrible shadow of all that began on October 7 two years ago.