Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the Jewish new year. Its origin is Biblical (Lev. 23:23-25): "a sacred occasion commemorated with loud blasts [of the shofar, the ram's horn]." The term Rosh Hashanah, "beginning of the year," is rabbinical, as are the formidable themes of the festival: repentance, preparation for the day of Divine judgment and prayer for a fruitful year. The two-day festival, which falls on 1-2 Tishre in the Jewish calendar, will begin this year at sunset on Friday, September 22, and conclude at sunset on Sunday, September 24.
Major customs of Rosh Hashanah include the sounding of the shofar in the middle of a lengthy synagogue service that focuses on the festival themes, and elaborate meals at home to inaugurate the new year. The prayer liturgy is augmented with prayers of repentance.
In many senses, Israel begins its year on Rosh Hashanah. Felicitations for the new year are generally tendered before Rosh Hashanah.
Yom Kippur, eight days after Rosh Hashanah, is the Day of Atonement, of Divine judgment, and of "affliction of souls" (Lev. 23:26-32) so that the individual may be cleansed of sins. The only fast day decreed in the Bible, it is a time to enumerate one's misdeeds and contemplate one's faults. The Jew is expected, on this day, to pray for forgiveness for sins between man and God and correct his wrongful actions against his fellow man. The country comes to a complete halt for 25 hours on this day.
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Population of Israel: 6,990,700
On the eve of Rosh Hashana 5767, the Central Bureau of Statistics announced that the population of Israel stands at 6,990,700. Of them, 5,313,800 are Jewish and 1,377,100 Arabs.
The population growth rate in 2005 stood at 1.8 percent, roughly the same figure as the previous two years.
In 2005, the number of native Israelis continued to grow and reached approximately 3.7 million people. The largest country of origin continues to be the former Soviet Union, including its Asiatic republics, with a population numbering 1.177 million (242,000 of them born in Israel). The second-largest country of origin is Morocco, with a population numbering 492,000 (337,000 of them born in Israel).
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Message from the President of the State of Israel, Moshe Katsav, to the Jewish communities, on the occasion of Rosh Hashana 5767
Dear Friends,
On the eve of the New Year 5767, we are once more facing new and difficult challenges that force us to find effective ways of coping with them.
The State of Israel is again confronting radical Islamic terrorism, which is attempting to prevent stability and peace in the Middle East and undermining universal human values and the foundations of democracy, throughout the world.
In the last few months, we have been engaged in a war with Hizbullah, an organization that for years has threatened the residents of northern Israel, attacked peaceful citizens and shaken their security, and all for no reason, without justification, in light of the fact that Israel fulfilled the UN resolutions to the letter and withdrew from all Lebanese territory, just as the UN had determined.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not the cause of Islamic terror in the world. Radical Islam wants to dominate the Islamic world as well as Western culture.
The State of Israel is also fighting the democratic world's battle for the sake of human values, for the sake of democratic values.
I thank the Jewish communities around the world and commend them for the support and identification with the Israeli people that they have shown during these months. Visits by delegations of the communities have encouraged us and the visits have strengthened the mutual relations between us.
I call on the Jewish communities to tighten and reinforce the connection between the Jews of the Diaspora and the State of Israel, and I call on Jewish youth all over the world to visit Israel, to act to preserve the Jewish heritage, Jewish values and to strengthen the attachment of the Jewish people to its homeland.
We must continue to act together to eradicate antisemitism, which has reared its ugly head in many places in the world and threatens the Jews as well as moral and humanitarian values. Many leaders of the free world share the concern over growing antisemitism and are resolved to fight it with determination and responsibility.
During the days leading up to Rosh Hashana, a time of personal and national soul-searching, we have an obligation to act according to sacred Jewish values and to preserve the Jewish heritage and the unity of our people.
We are facing momentous decisions in the life of the people and the country. I believe that we will know, especially at the cucial moment, how to preserve unity, loving and concerned brothers and sistes, even at a time of controversy and disagreement.
On behalf of the Israeli people and myself, I would like to convey to you and to your families our blessings for a good year, a year of amity and productivity, a year of peace and security, a year in which we will maintain our national strength.
Message from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to the Jewish communities, on the occasion of Rosh Hashana 5767
Dear Friends,
It gives me great pleasure to send you warm greetings from Jerusalem as we prepare to celebrate Rosh Hashana and the holiday season.
The last few months have been difficult ones for the State of Israel, as we faced renewed violence and terror by those who would wish our total destruction. Thanks to the courage of our soldiers and citizens alike, we have weathered this current storm and emerged stronger than ever.
However, we still face the difficult task of recovering from the extensive damage in the north, the Haifa region and the Negev. All our efforts are directed towards rehabilitating those areas most affected and to moving ahead. As we have in the past, we rely on the support of our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora.
Your participation in strengthening the Jewish homeland is invaluable, and your unwavering encouragement reinforces our determination to live our lives here in Israel and to uphold our Jewish, democratic values.
It is my wish that the New Year brings security, stability and peace to our nation and its eternal, undivided capital, Jerusalem.
May you all have a year of good health, prosperity and success.
Shana Tova!
Sincerely,
Ehud Olmert