Dear Friends,
As we welcome 5786, I find myself returning to words of one of the most famous Jewish song writers of the 20th century, Irving Berlin. “When I am tired and I can’t sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep, and I fall asleep counting my blessings.”
This year, I am counting the blessings of our Jewish community here in St. Louis. The blessing of strength, of continuity, of survival. The blessing of being part of a lineage that has endured the Greeks, Romans, Turks, Egyptians, pogroms, the Shoah, and so much more. To stand as a Jew in 5786 is to recognize the miracle of survival—and to understand the responsibility we carry forward for our ancestors and for our children.
A few years after Nora was born, we tried desperately for another child. I prayed and prayed, but the child was not meant to be. But G-d, recognizing I needed something else to also hold my love, helped deliver a community. This community. You. And every day I am reminded of what makes St. Louis a special place to live and to be Jewish. Andrew, Nora, and I have been so welcomed and feel very fortunate to be raising our family as part of this wonderful community. It is the driving force behind the great responsibility I feel to serve you.
During this time of year, I often look back to look forward. There is a very poignant moment in Fiddler on the Roof that always stays with me. The Sabbath prayer: “May the Lord protect and defend you… may you come to be in Israel a shining name.” That prayer is not just for our children, it is for our people, our community, and our future.
As we look ahead, my wishes are for the simple pleasures that make life holy: Shabbat candles glowing in our homes, apples dipped in honey, the embrace of family, the joy of community.
I am reminded of the words of Hannah Senesh, who wrote “Eli, Eli” in 1942 before joining the Jewish resistance:
Oh G-d, my G-d
I pray that these things never end:
The sand and the sea,
The rush of the water,
The crash of the heavens,
The prayer of the heart.
The courage it took for Senesh to return to Nazi territory as a paratrooper takes my breath away. It is the same courage we are called to summon today—not in battle, but in living with strength, joy, and purpose, side by side as a community.
May 5786 be a year of blessing for you and your loved ones. May it be filled with courage, with gratitude, with joy, and with peace. And may we, as a community, continue to stand as a shining name in Israel and in St. Louis.
Shanah Tovah U’Metukah,
Danny Cohn
President & CEO
Jewish Federation of St. Louis