For Immediate Release
As the world takes stock of a new reality today, Jews across the globe prepare for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Much of the liturgy and the meaning of many of the prayers Jews offer at the New Year have at their core the concept of introspection and personal responsibility. In light of the tragic events of last week in the United States, and the ongoing terrorism in Israel, the membership and leadership of B’nai Brith Canada hope that the thoughts and the prayers that have reached a crescendo resonate in the hearts and minds of Canadians at this solemn time. The memory of the fallen is served in many ways, ways that have been at the heart of our prayers. We have prayed for peace, so we must work for it as well. Canadians must resist the temptation to lash out at communities that have become such an integral and valued part of our Canadian panorama. In Hebrew, the word for peace, "Shalom", is related to the word for whole or undivided, "Shalem". We pray for peace and unity.
We have prayed for safety and security, so we must ensure that our country, and indeed the whole world, is a more secure place, where people can travel or go to work without fear. We pray for freedom, of the kind Franklin D. Roosevelt described so many years ago, freedom from fear. As the psalmist wrote, and as President Bush quoted last week, “Yea, though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, because You are with me.”
We have prayed for a world where good prevails. That starts at our own doorsteps. At the New Year, in many cultures, it is traditional to make a resolution. Today let us resolve to be more tolerant than we were last year, to be more patient, and more accepting of the differences which make this country the best place in the world in which to live.
B’nai Brith Canada wishes all Canadians a year of safety, of prosperity, of unity, and of peace.
Rochelle Wilner, |
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Frank Dimant, |
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For further comment contact Rochelle Wilner or Frank Dimant at (416) 633 6224
B’nai Brith has been active in Canada since 1875 as the community’s senior human rights organization. In its 125 years of service, it has worked to respond with practical aid to many disaster situations around the world.
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