Yom Kippur 5787: A High Holiday Message for 5787
G’mar Chatimah Tovah
As Jewish communities throughout our nation and around the world start to observe the holiest day on the Jewish calendar of Yom Kippur, we enter a sacred period of reflection, repentance, remembrance, and renewal.
The Day of Atonement asks each of us to examine where we have been, acknowledge where we may have fallen short, and consider what we can do differently in the year ahead. It reminds us that reflection has its greatest value when it leads to action.
For those of us who have worn the uniform of the United States Armed Forces, the concepts of service, responsibility, sacrifice, and accountability carry particular meaning. We understand that belonging to something larger than ourselves comes with obligations – to our fellow veterans, our Jewish community, our country, and the generations that will follow us.
That same responsibility has guided Jewish War Veterans of the USA for more than 130 years.
As we enter 5787, JWV itself is experiencing a period of renewal.
With Selina Kanowitz serving as National Commander and Scott Schlesinger serving as National Vice Commander, we begin this new year with leadership committed to honoring the remarkable legacy of JWV while preparing our organization for its next generation.
Our new Executive Board and organizational structure represent more than administrative changes. They represent an opportunity to strengthen JWV, improve how we work together, welcome new voices into our organization, and ensure that we remain relevant and effective in meeting the challenges facing veterans and the Jewish community today.
Yom Kippur teaches us that honoring the past does not require us to remain unchanged. Quite the opposite. We honor those who built JWV by ensuring that the organization they entrusted to us continues to grow, adapt, advocate, and serve.
In the coming year, we have an extraordinary opportunity to strengthen our advocacy on behalf of America’s veterans; combat antisemitism; address veteran homelessness, unemployment, and other challenges facing those who served; expand community partnerships; engage younger generations of Jewish veterans; and remind America of the proud and enduring history of Jewish military service.
We also have an opportunity to listen – to one another, to our members, and especially to veterans whose voices have not always been represented within our organization.
The year ahead will require work. It will require cooperation. It will sometimes require us to challenge old assumptions and embrace contemporary ideas. But if we approach that work with the same dedication and sense of duty that have defined generations of Jewish American veterans, the next year can be an incredible one for JWV.
On this Yom Kippur, we remember our fellow veterans and JWV members who are no longer with us. We honor their service by carrying forward the values for which they stood.
May this sacred day bring reflection where it is needed, forgiveness where it is looked for, healing where there is pain, and renewed purpose for the year ahead.
May we be sealed in the Book of Life, and may 5787 be a year of peace for our families, our Jewish community, our veterans, our nation, and the people of Israel.
G’mar Chatimah Tovah.
Respectfully and with wishes for a meaningful fast,
Selina Kanowitz
National Commander
Jewish War Veterans of the USA
Scott Schlesinger
National Vice Commander
Jewish War Veterans of the USA
