Dear Friends,
This summer has been heavy on our hearts. The pain and uncertainty of war, the increasing threats of antisemitism nationally and even here in St. Louis, and the weight of living in a world filled with constant change have left many of us feeling weary.
And yet, as happens at this time each year, alarm clocks ring a little earlier, backpacks are filled with sharpened pencils and fresh notebooks, and families settle back into familiar (and overdue) routines. The return of back-to-school season offers a chance for us all to pause, take a deep breath, and find renewal and optimism for the year ahead.
This week’s Torah portion, Re’eh, opens with a choice: “See, I set before you today a blessing and a curse.” While our children may see that as the perfect way to describe the excitement and pressures of school, it also reminds us that while the world around us can feel chaotic, we have the power to choose how we see and respond. The blessings come not from ignoring reality, but from grounding ourselves in faith, in community, and in the Jewish values we share.
That same choice plays out every day, for each of us, in many different ways. As our children settle back into classrooms, we are reminded that schools are not just places of learning. They are central gathering spaces where identity is shaped, values are reinforced, and belonging is nurtured. The same is true of our synagogues, agencies, and our Federation. We gather not only to serve the community, to pray, to celebrate, or to respond in moments of crisis, but also to build enduring bonds with one another. In these spaces, our collective Jewish future is strengthened, one moment and one relationship at a time.
The Talmud teaches that “I have learned much from my teachers, more from my colleagues, but most from my students.” As our children and grandchildren return to school, they remind us of the future we are all working to secure. Their curiosity, resilience, and joy inspire us to build a community where they feel proud of their Jewish identity and confident in the world they are inheriting.
This Shabbat, I encourage you to step back from the heaviness of the world for just a moment. Let us embrace the rhythm of routines, the optimism for the coming school year, and the stories of the week shared around Shabbat tables. Let us choose to strengthen the bonds we feel to our families and to our entire Jewish community, coming together in our spaces of belonging – our homes, our synagogues, our schools, and our Federation – so that together, we embrace the year ahead with connection, resilience, and hope.
May this Shabbat be a blessing, and may we continue to choose life, learning, and community, together.
Shabbat Shalom
Danny Cohn
President & CEO
Jewish Federation of St. Louis