As Rosh Hashanah approaches, we naturally look back. We think about the past year, what we accomplished, what challenged us, whom we lost, what we learned and what we might do differently. But our tradition also asks us to look forward. In just a few weeks, on September 18, I will mark my first anniversary as CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas. It has been a remarkable year of listening, learning, building and working alongside an extraordinary team of professional staff and volunteer leaders who care deeply about this community.
As we prepare to welcome 5787, there is one question that keeps coming back to me and one I often ask myself: what’s next? There is no shortage of uncertainty in our world. What’s next for Israel and the Middle East? What’s next as antisemitism continues to find its way into our classrooms, workplaces, politics, college campuses and playing fields? What’s next for our country as we approach the midterm elections? What’s next for the Jewish people in a world that can sometimes feel increasingly hostile to us? We do not know all the answers. However, Rosh Hashanah asks us a different question. Not “What will happen next?” but “What will we do next?” That, I believe, we can answer.
We will work to strengthen Jewish identity because a strong Jewish future begins with Jews who know who they are, understand what they stand for and are proud to live Jewishly. We will give parents, students and community members the knowledge and tools to respond when antisemitism appears, whether in a classroom, a workplace, on a college campus or on the sidelines of a soccer field. We can’t always prevent hate from finding us, but we can make sure our community never feels it has to face it alone. We will invest deeply in the next generation of Jewish leadership. Through our NextGen and other initiatives, we are developing the volunteers, philanthropists and communal leaders who will carry Jewish Dallas into the future. Our responsibility is to give them a voice, a stake and a sense of belonging in Jewish Dallas today. We will work to ensure that Federation is a doorway into Jewish engagement, whether someone has just arrived in Dallas, is searching for a synagogue or school, wants to volunteer, wants to learn, needs help or simply wants to connect with other Jewish people.
There is a beautiful Jewish idea that feels especially meaningful as we enter the New Year: Kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh – all of Israel is responsible for one another. These words are not merely about caring for one another; they are a charge to take responsibility for one another, for the Jewish future and our legacy. It means professional staff and volunteer leaders working in partnership. None of us can build Jewish Dallas alone. It also means synagogues, schools, agencies and organizations recognizing that we are stronger when we listen to one another, sometimes disagree with one another, and still remember that we share responsibility for something much larger than ourselves.
We cannot predict everything our New Year 5787 will bring, but we can decide what we will make of it together. As the sound of the shofar calls us into a new year, the question for us is not just, “What’s next?”, it is “What will we build next, together?”
May the New Year bring peace and security to Israel, strength and unity to the Jewish people, and health, sweetness and blessings to all of us.
Shanah Tovah U’Metukah.
Am Yisrael Chai.
Robert French, CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas