Dear friends!
The holiday of Rosh Hashanah is approaching – the Jewish New Year, one of the most ancient and beloved holidays of our people.
These days, according to the ancient Jewish tradition, it is customary to reflect, remember and evaluate the past year, while noting both one’s own successes and failures. All this helps us to remain honest with ourselves and people, makes it possible to draw the necessary and useful conclusions, learn lessons, allows us to move forward in life, set new goals for ourselves and achieve them. I would like to once again remind you of this tradition and urge everyone to take seriously the precepts of our wise ancestors.
The outgoing year will undoubtedly go down in the history of our community. This year we managed to complete the long, painstaking and patient work that had been going on for almost two decades: the Latvian Parliament finally made the long-awaited decision on compensation for Jewish property lost during the Holocaust and other tragic events of the 20th century. Very soon, in the coming year, the funds stipulated in the law will begin to flow into a specially created Restitution Fund.
This decision, historical in every sense, restores justice and creates favorable conditions for the further development of the Latvian Jewish community. From the bottom of my heart I thank our many friends in Latvia and in other countries, whose perseverance and unwavering support helped make such an important cause a success!
Next year we will have an important anniversary for the modern Jewish community: it will be 35 years since the establishment of the Latvian Society of Jewish Culture in Riga, which marked the beginning of the revival of Jewish public life in Latvia after many years of neglect. And five years later, in 1993, this society was transformed into the Riga Jewish community, which today is the largest and most organized in the entire Baltic Sea region. I believe and hope that despite all kinds of circumstances and difficulties, we will be able to celebrate these dates with dignity!
On the eve of the holiday, I would like to remind you once again that there are still many people around us who need help and support. I urge you not to forget about them, to remain attentive and sensitive, to provide all possible support to those in need – this will be your important contribution to the development and prosperity of our community, our country!
Dear friends! I congratulate you on the arrival of the year 5783 according to the Jewish calendar! I wish you all health and joy, happiness and prosperity, faith and love!
May the New Year be sweet, kind to each of us! May he bring peace to the whole earth! May it justify the best hopes, give us strength and health, open new horizons!
And let us ask the Almighty to write us down in the Book of Life for the next year!
23.09.2022