.svg)
By Carol Ann Schwartz
As we prepare for the High Holidays, I share with you a short poem, “Rosh Hashanah,” written by Lucille Clifton in the immediate aftermath of September 11, 2001.
That year, the first night of Rosh Hashanah fell just days after the terror attacks on New York and Washington, DC. Twenty five years later, Clifton’s poem, part of her “September Suite,” strikes a powerful chord:
“Rosh Hashanah/ i bear witness to no thing/ more human than hate// i bear witness to no thing/ more human than love// apples and honey/apples and honey// what is not lost/ is paradise.”
During the High Holidays, the most sacred days in the Jewish calendar, we welcome a new year, and we atone; we look back, and we look ahead. And as we reckon and reflect on this poignant anniversary, we wrestle with the dark sides of ourselves, and of humanity, we find within ourselves forgiveness, and we shine a light on the brightest moments, and the brightest actions and parts of our lives. This is our shared humanity, and our Jewish tradition.
And as we do, I hope the apples and honey at all of our tables tastes extra sweet. And I hope this sweetness will help us recommit to doing good, and to doing it together.
Hadassah is, for me, an expression of my Jewish identity, my Zionist identity and my feminist identity, a light in what too often have been dark times. I know that so many of you across the United States feel this way, too. And so to everyone in our Hadasah family, please know how grateful I am to you for being part of our community, for your generosity of time, money and commitment — together, you have made Hadassah’s lifechanging work possible.
In this past year, we’ve made the hope of medical innovation a reality for families, stood up to antisemitism and hate, supported Israel and all of its people, empowered women and advanced women’s health. And so much more.
For me, I know a light on my own horizon this new year will be coming together with hundreds of our members, Associates and supporters this October in Israel for Hadassah’s 2026 National Conference. I hope you’ll be joining us. (It’s not too late to sign up.)
But whatever your year ahead looks like, I hope it is filled with sweetness and a sense of purpose. Shana tova.
