The Celebration of Rosh Hashanah 5785

This year’s celebration, like every year, began with Rabbi Shlomi Tabib leading us in the new year prayers and the lighting of the candles. Each symbolic food on the table carried its own special meaning—pomegranates for abundance, apples and honey for sweetness in the coming year, and the round challah bread, crowned with glory, symbolizing goodness and the eternal cycle of life. And this year, our Kosher Culinary Lab elevated the evening even further with its groundbreaking debut of Kosher Chinese cuisine. For the first time, traditional Jewish and Chinese culinary traditions came together in an unforgettable fusion, allowing Jews from all over the world to uphold their religious practices while also experiencing Taiwan’s globally renowned food culture.

Rosh Hashanah is a time for reflection and renewal. It’s a moment for us to look back on the past year with gratitude and forward with hope for peace, sweetness, and growth. Though our hearts still ache for those who cannot return home, I want to share a message of strength: no matter how difficult the times, we can endure through unity and resilience. As we step into this new year, let us all pray for an end to conflict and war, for the safe return of all those far from home, and for the light of peace to shine across the world.

As we celebrate the start of year 5785, I send you all my warmest wishes for a year filled with health, happiness, and peace. May 5785 be a year of goodness, health, and peace for all of us. Let love and blessings surround us as we walk together toward a brighter future.

Shana Tova!