Pollies’ new year greetings to community
PM: 'Many Jewish Australians will not be able to gather together to mark the start of the High Holy Days as they usually do. But faith teaches us that we can be together in spirit'
Scott Morrison
Prime Minister
I SEND my best wishes to all Jewish Australians who are celebrating Rosh Hashanah.
Each year, the blowing of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah calls us to think about the year that has passed, and to commit to a future of care, compassion and tolerance.
This past year has given us much to reflect on.
Our spiritual beliefs and lived traditions help shape the values that define who we are as a people. They provide certainty and inspiration in uncertain times.
In these times, I believe we must lift our gaze.
Australia is a country that doesn’t just look to survive. We don’t go through challenges with our heads looking down, overwhelmed by the circumstances – that is not who we are.
As Australians, we survive and succeed because we support each other, and that’s what we’ll continue to do to help each other get through this pandemic.
This year, many Jewish Australians will not be able to gather together to mark the start of the High Holy Days as they usually do. But faith teaches us that we can be together in spirit, even if we are physically apart.
In this season of charity and renewal, I encourage you to reach out to those around you with the comfort and support we all need during these times.
Shana tova umetukah.
Anthony Albanese
Opposition Leader
ON behalf of the Australian Labor Party, I wish all members of the Australian Jewish community a shana tova umetukah – a sweet and happy new year. If anything, it is a wish that is even more powerfully heartfelt during this time of pandemic.
Rosh Hashanah and the High Holy Days are a time for family and community, but the celebrations must be adapted for the challenging circumstances in which we find ourselves. Yet, even as physical distance comes between you and your loved ones, your emotional bonds will never be stretched.
The sound of the shofar ushers in a new year and a fresh start for our Jewish community in Australia and the world. It is also a time of reflection and repentance, bringing with it an opportunity for all of us to look back across the old year and dedicate ourselves anew to making Australia better for all Australians.
I am deeply grateful to the Australian Jewish community for the contribution you have made to the success of our multicultural society. Just as you have helped make Australia the nation it is today, you will help shape Australia as we emerge from this crisis.
May this new year of 5781 bring you and your family naches and simchas, and may the shofar sound extra loudly to usher in a year that will bring not only joy and success, but also recovery and renewal.
Gladys Berejiklian
NSW Premier
I AM delighted to extend my best wishes to everyone celebrating Rosh Hashanah in NSW.
As the first of the High Holy Days on the Jewish calendar, marking the creation of the world, the New Year is an important time of reflection. While the occasion will be marked differently this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, its message of hope and renewal resonates as strongly as ever.
פורסם על ידי The Australian Jewish News ב- יום רביעי, 16 בספטמבר 2020
As you attend synagogue services and family gatherings, you can be proud of the role you play in building a strong community and thriving multicultural society in NSW.
I thank the Jewish community for helping to stop the spread of the coronavirus by respecting the rules that are protecting us all, particularly our most vulnerable. It is our shared humanity that gets us through challenging times such as these.
May you all enjoy a peaceful, happy, healthy, and safe Rosh Hashanah.
Daniel Andrews
Victorian Premier
I SEND my genuine gratitude to our Victorian Jewish community, as you mark this Rosh Hashanah.
As you come together – albeit in different ways – to celebrate this High Holy Day, we are sincerely thankful for the sacrifices you have all made during this time, to keep your loved ones and our wider community safe.
Nothing about this past year has been easy, and this coming year will no doubt see its own challenges – but I know that the Jewish community, united in faith and community, will again rise to the challenge.
While prayer and celebration may look different this year, I hope you find health, peace and sweetness this Rosh Hashanah. To The AJN‘s readers, staff, volunteers and to every member of the Victorian Jewish community – thank you for your strength and resolve during this difficult time.
Wishing you all a safe, healthy and prosperous year ahead.
L’shana tova.
Jodi McKay
NSW Opposition Leader
MY NSW Labor colleagues and I wish a very heartfelt L’Shana Tova to the Jewish community across Australia and the world as they prepare to mark Rosh Hashanah.
For many Jewish Australians, this year’s celebrations during the High Holy Days will be different from celebrations past.
But Jewish families across NSW will still come together to recite the kiddush, dip apples in honey, break the challah, enjoy a meal together with loved ones and wish each other: L’Shana Tova.
It has been difficult for Jewish Australians to gather at their local synagogues this year. Family members, friends and loved ones have been separated from one another as everyone across our nation has worked to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
This year has been hard on all of us, but I hope Jewish families across our state will be able to enjoy this year’s Rosh Hashanah and take comfort in the values and traditions that have sustained the Jewish community for thousands of years.
Michael O’Brien
Victorian Opposition Leader
IT is with great pleasure that I extend my best wishes to Victoria’s Jewish community on the occasion of Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah.
Rosh Hashanah is a significant date in the Jewish religious calendar. It is a time of reflection on the year that has passed, and a time of optimism, as we look ahead to the New Year with a renewed hope.
As Victorians, we are fortunate to live in such a diverse and tolerant multifaith society, where significant religious and cultural events, such as Rosh Hashanah, are celebrated freely.
This year’s Rosh Hashanah comes to us during an uncertain and challenging time for humanity where the onset of COVID-19 has transformed our lives.
We are all faced with challenges during this period, and it is hard not to feel overwhelmed with all that is happening around us. However, we look forward to the New Year with a renewed hope, and collective responsibility to continue to nurture a spirit of friendship, acceptance, compassion and belonging, shared values that make our society the envy of the world.
Victoria’s Jewish community continues to make a significant contribution to our multicultural society, helping maintain our state’s reputation as an accepting, cohesive and tolerant place where all Victorians can celebrate their heritage.
On behalf of the Liberal Nationals, I wish our Jewish community a happy and prosperous New Year.
Shana tova.
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