By Liz Nederlander Coden and Hannah Cohen in La Jolla, California
As we prepare to welcome Rosh Hashanah and the year 5787, we find ourselves doing what this season invites us to do: looking back with gratitude and looking ahead with hope.
This past year gave us so much to cherish.
We shared moments of joy and celebration. We learned together, moved together, laughed together, and showed up for one another. We gathered around Jewish culture, ideas, music, stories, holidays, and traditions. We watched children grow, friendships deepen, families connect, and people of every age find a place to belong.
There were also moments that asked more of us. Moments that reminded us how important community can be when the world feels uncertain. Again and again, we saw the strength that comes from simply being together.
That is one of the greatest gifts of the J.
It is a place where people can walk through the doors and feel connected to something larger than themselves. A place where Jewish life is celebrated with pride and shared with warmth. A place where people from many backgrounds can learn from one another, care for one another, and feel at home.
And now, a new year is waiting.
What might 5787 bring?
We imagine a year filled with more connection. More curiosity. More chances to listen, learn, celebrate, and care for each other.
We imagine children discovering something new, artists and thinkers opening our minds, families building traditions, friends finding each other, and generations sharing stories that keep Jewish life vibrant.
Most of all, we imagine a community that continues to choose hope.
As Board Chairs, we are deeply grateful to each of you. Your presence, participation, generosity, and spirit make this community what it is. On behalf of the entire Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center and San Diego Center for Jewish Culture boards, thank you for being part of this remarkable community.
May 5787 bring you and those you love sweetness, health, peace, meaningful connection, and plenty of reasons to gather.
Shanah Tovah U’Metukah, may you have a good and sweet new year.
*
Liz Nederlander Coden is the board chair of the Lawrence Family JCC. Hannah Cohen is board chair of the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture.