BY BEVERLY STEIN

As the High Holidays approach and we take time to reflect on the year behind us and the one ahead, I keep returning to one powerful idea: As One, we can build a stronger, more unified Jewish community.

Rosh Hashanah gives us the opportunity to pause—to reflect on our lives, our relationships, and our responsibilities to one another. It’s a time to ask not only who we’ve been, but who we hope to become. And just as importantly, who we want to become together.

In a world that often emphasizes division, I believe our greatest strength as a Jewish people lies in the bonds that connect us. Across denominations, generations, backgrounds, and beliefs—we are one community. We are one family.

It’s easy to forget that. We may worship in different synagogues, observe traditions in unique ways, or hold a wide range of perspectives and opinions, but what unites us is deeper than any difference. We share a heritage, a history, and a collective hope for a better future—for ourselves, for the Jewish people, and for the world.

That shared future inspires the work we do every day at the United Jewish Federation. Our mission is to support Klal Yisrael—the whole Jewish people. That means caring for the vulnerable, strengthening Jewish identity, standing with Israel, fighting antisemitism, keeping our community safe, and building a vibrant, inclusive Jewish life—here and around the world.

But we don’t do this work alone. We do it with you. Your support, your time, and your passion are what make this work not only possible, but meaningful.

This New Year, I want to invite each of us—myself included—to take one step further. Let’s not just support our community. Let’s actively build it. Let’s reach across boundaries, engage with those we don’t yet know, reach out to those with opinions other than ours and deepen our connections.

That could mean inviting someone new to your holiday table. It could mean checking in on a neighbor, volunteering with a Federation program, or simply learning someone else’s story. However you choose to engage, know this: you matter. You are an essential part of this community, and your presence is a gift.

Over the past year, we’ve seen the power of unity—whether in moments of crisis, in support of Jewish education, or in standing up against hate. Time and again, we’ve shown that solidarity is sacred.

Let’s carry that spirit forward into 5786. Let’s be there for each other not only in hardship, but in everyday moments too. Let’s celebrate our diversity, strengthen our connections, and commit to a future rooted in compassion, inclusion, and shared responsibility.

To everyone in our community: thank you. Thank you for showing up, for giving, and for helping us build something lasting—together.

May this New Year bring you and your loved ones health, peace, and sweetness. And may we continue to grow, together, as one people with one heart.