Many don’t know of Rosh Hashanah as Yom Teruah, a “Day of Shouting”, but over this past year, we have had a lot to shout about- in the best of ways. We shouted for change, we shouted for celebration, we shouted for entertainment, and we got all of that. This year has been a year full of celebration, but at times of sorrow, and in both situations, we used our voices as an outlet. The characteristics of a shofar is to be loud, complete, and to spread a message. All of which we have done this year.
We started off by screaming for Chris Rock, Ringo Starr, Enrique Iglesias, and dozens more that came to perform in Israel. We cheered as loud as possible when the hundreds of bikers participating in the Giro D’Italia passed through our cities, and we all sang at the top of our lungs to celebrate Israel’s 70th birthday. Netta Barzilai took our voices away when she won Eurovision, and we took to the streets to shout about our excitement when the US embassy announced its move to Jerusalem. And we’re not stopping.
We were strong this year too. We have faced many hardships this year; terror attacks, rockets, fire kites, and more. Yet, as always, we persevered. We cried out loud for our fallen brothers and sisters, and we let the world know how much it hurts to see our beautiful land destroyed in the south, but as a nation, we must remain as one. No two shofars are the same from the outside. Each has its own unique color, texture and sound, but what makes a shofar “kosher” is that it is intact. We too as the Jewish nation should not care about how we look- what is most important is that we stick together and stand strong even through the worst of times.
Lastly, we want our message to be heard. The shofar spreads the message of the new year, to wake up and make some change! Not only for yourself but for others around you. We want to be heard in this upcoming year. In this past year by being vocal, we won fights against the BDS movement, once again letting the world know that Israel is here to stay in celebrating 70 years of independence. We also helped countless countries during their times of need. Syria with the ‘White Helmets’, Greece with their devastating wildfires, Guatemala with the deadly volcano, and many more. This year, we will let the world know that Israel is here to make a difference, our message is that we are here to stay, and that nothing will stop us. We have a lot to say in 5779, and we’ll spread the word at the top of our lungs.
Maybe it’s a stretch to say that 5778 was the “year of the shofar” but I believe it. With all that has been accomplished and done, we have done things that will give you chills, just as the shofar blasts do. We blow the shofar 100 times on Rosh Hashanah, but we have done more than one thousand things this past year to get us to where we are today. This iconic symbol of Israel marks renewal, and that’s exactly what 5778 was for us, a time of renewal when it came to show the world who we really are. We will not sit back, but we will be loud as we join together once again. Shana Tova U’Metuka!
