A Happy New Year, for a Change

Shoshana Chen writes about cautious optimism on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, against the backdrop of renewed faith among young people at the Western Wall, the return of the hostages, and the hope for unity despite the rifts in Israeli society.

Shoshana Chen writes a personal column on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, expressing cautious optimism for the first time in three years. She describes a conversation with an old family friend, who was impressed by the sight of hundreds of thousands of young people from all ethnic backgrounds coming to recite Selichot at the Western Wall—more than half a million by mid-Elul, with an expected two million by Yom Kippur. Chen notes that the new year is being welcomed without hostages in Gaza, after the last living ones returned on Hoshana Rabbah, and the last killed, Ran Gualili, was buried on January 26. She points to the faith of returning hostages—Elia Cohen, who kept his promise to recite 'Shema Yisrael' under his wedding canopy, and Eli Sharabi, who insisted on Kiddush on Shabbat even in the tunnels—as a lesson in faith. Alongside this, she acknowledges the increase in the number of people leaving the country, but chooses to focus on hope: 'Because if two million people come to the Wall to cry out "We have sinned before You, have mercy on us," everything is possible.' The column ends with a blessing of 'Shana Tova' and the quote 'The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.'