When will they be free?

Rosh Hashanah. A time of the year filled with reflection, shofar blasts, and sweet apples in honey. This time last year, we were happily sitting in our sukkahs celebrating the freedom of the Jewish people after 40 years of wandering in the desert following slavery in Egypt. Today, we wonder when our brothers and sisters in captivity will be free. Will they get to celebrate the new year with a hearty family meal? Will they get the chance to daven with their communities in shul? We don’t know.

The high holy days have always been a time of excitement and adventure for me. In South Africa, we’re greeted with spring’s warm sights and smells: jacarandas blooming, bees buzzing, and sparkling blue swimming pools on our minds. However, this year is different. Someone, somewhere far north, is experiencing the exact opposite. Hidden deep underground in icy tunnels remain 97 living hostages, kept in captivity by Hamas far from civilisation and comfort. There’s a feeling of guilt that tugs at my thoughts. Why during such a holy period on our Jewish calendar does such tragedy exist?

These conflicting feelings – pain and peace – are deeply troubling. On the one hand, here we are, surrounded by our loved ones, preparing our Rosh Hashanah meals at full speed and gathering schach for our sukkot. On the other hand, we know of the great suffering experienced by our own people.

Golda Meir, Israel’s prime minister during the Yom Kippur War, famously stated, “Pessimism is a luxury no Jew can allow himself.” I admire this resilience. Through one of Israel’s toughest wars, she took many blows but remained strong and victorious. Although we’re not prime ministers, we’re still Jewish. We still have the ability to enact change.

Acts of tzedakah, teshuva, and tefillah are key aspects in any conversation about Rosh Hashanah. As we approach one year since the 7 October massacre, these concepts take on added significance. It’s amazing to see how we’re all involved in writing notes to soldiers, joining tehillim groups, or learning Torah in the name of a hostage. We know that when we’re united, our enemy becomes weak. May Hashem hear our prayers of repentance, hear the cries of the hostages, and bless us with peace this coming year.