NEW JEWISH YEAR – Noemi Di Segni (UCEI): Proud of our youth, proud of our culture

A new year has just begun, more eagerly awaited than ever, with the hope that 5785 will mark an absolute change and that we may be granted security, serenity, peace of mind, the recognition of truth and virtue. Prayers are intensifying, becoming more and more communal, as an entire people unite in the supreme value of life and in the desire to overcome an existential challenge. It has been a year, long as a day, that never set in the memory and response to the attack endured on October 7, during Simchat Torah. This Rosh Hashanah was filled with prayers and rituals of deep significance, spoken with full awareness.
Our first thoughts, as we pray for every possible relief and salvation, go to the families whose loved ones are still held hostage, to all the injured and those who were killed, and to all those who have defended and continue to defend us today. The words of Natan Yonatan in the song Erez remind us that Israel has all its soil sweetened by toil, all its shores salted by tears, and those who long for it have given it everything they could.
The “Days of Awe”— now even more fearsome due to the threats we face—will be a time of intense soul-searching. This year, perhaps, we shift our focus from personal conduct to that of the collective and the Jewish people as a whole. It is a time to reflect on existential questions and on human justice and discernment, which have strayed light-years from divine justice, to which we offer our prayers.
This year has demonstrated time and again, in each of the excruciating trials endured, how imperative life and salvation are. It has shown us what it means to be a nation-state that defends all its citizens, fortifies homes, and ensures safety, as opposed to those that use their citizens as shields and their homes as arsenals.
Rosh Hashanah marks the creation of the world, entrusted to mankind for care, goodness, and growth, while carrying forward centuries of traditions interwoven with songs and prayers of introspection and care for others. This year has made us proud of our young people, who rushed to save lives and offer support, alongside thousands of volunteers from around the world for the common good and reconstruction. We are proud as individuals and as Jewish communities to be part of a people that defends other peoples in addition to itself and shares culture and commitment to innovation, healing, and prosperity with others every day—a culture where faith is not misused to spread hatred and annihilation.
Amid the pain we must endure and process, we are commanded to “rejoice in your festivals,” aware of the hardship we face. Our shared effort is to demonstrate solidarity and strength, responding with the power of Jewish tradition, our common denominator throughout the centuries.
Though personal reflection may seem secondary in this historical moment, in this year marked by so much suffering, it remains the true starting point for improving every endeavor, including institutional ones. It is a way for all of us to contribute in the most useful and correct manner, with the hope of smoothing out unmet expectations or attitudes.
I extend to all of you, your families, and your communities, my heartfelt wishes for this Rosh Hashanah. May it be a year in which prayers are answered for the well-being and security of the people of Israel as a whole, and a year in which new hopes are sown, alongside our youth.

Noemi Di Segni, President of UCEI