As we approach Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, there has never been a more important time to reach out to family and friends.
We wish you and them l’shana tovah u’metukah, a good and sweet year, and g’mar chatima tovah, to acknowledge the traditional belief that a person’s fate for the coming year is written on Rosh Hashanah and sealed on Yom Kippur.
Although it is a greeting typically shared among Jews, it is no less relevant and important for everyone, irrespective of faith tradition.
This has been arguably the most difficult year that any of us have faced. The COVID pandemic has caused enormous hardship – it has changed our lives in ways that were unimaginable even two years ago.
There have been moments of pain, but also moments that reveal the beauty and stoicism of people; courage and community; hope and possibility that things will change for the better, and that we can be masters of our own destiny.
When I look at life through the Hadassah lens, I see a hospital community deeply and proudly connected to its long-standing traditions. There is a reason why we stand separately from other hospitals in Israel. We are different because of our history, our geography and our philosophy.
Even dealing with COVID-19 and the risk of being overwhelmed, Hadassah has never lost its focus on the importance of research and teaching and its commitment to the guiding principles – a moral roadmap - set by our founder, Henrietta Szold.
What would she make of current events? I think she would spend less time complaining about a situation that wasn’t of her making, and work tirelessly towards a solution by treating the problem as if it was hers to own.
On behalf of our team at Hadassah Australia, I want to wish you and your family a good and sweet year and ask you to be kind to yourself as you reflect on the year just passed.
Ron Finkel AM
Chair, Hadassah Australia
