A Rosh Hashanah message from the Prime Minister

September 4, 2015 by J-Wire News Service
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Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott sends a Rosh Hashanah message to Australia’s Jewish community.

Your Prime Minister | Prime Minister of Australia 2015-09-04 07-24-58

 

Rosh-Hashanah

Comments

4 Responses to “A Rosh Hashanah message from the Prime Minister”
  1. Liat Nagar says:

    Dear Andrew,
    I felt that the Prime Minister’s message focussed more on happiness, celebration and prosperity more than other elements, and in very general terms. And while I certainly don’t believe in foregoing those during Rosh HaShanah, I believe as the High Holy Days progress towards Yom Kippur, we concentrate more on reflection and the deeper, and sometimes darker, aspects of being a Jew and a human being, past and present. It does, of course, culminate in the intensely shared moments of communal prayer when we speak with one voice as many in our acknowledgements and requests to G-d. The nature of this is not something we can expect either Tony Abbott or Bill Shorten to understand, however, it will have been others in their offices who did the necessary research to put the messages together anyway.

    On reflection, I think I preferred the tonality of Shorten’s message, and, as I said, it seemed more specific to me at the time, although I’m having trouble finding it to recheck.

  2. Liat Nagar says:

    I’ve just read Bill Shorten’s Rosh HaShanah Message, which shows evidence of much more homework done as to what this time of year actually means for Jewish people.

    We need a bit of tikkun olam from our politicians at this point in time.

    • Andrew Barak says:

      Whilst not a huge fan of this political postulating with festive messages from across the political spectrum, I think its unfair to say that this message does not reflect whet Rosh Hashana means for the Jewish people. In the Mussaf liturgy of Rosh Hashana is the Alenu prayer that calls “Letikkun olam”, exactly what the Prime Minister is directing our attention to.

      By contrast, Mr Shorten’s message talks about rebirth and renewal, brotherhood and tolerance, which sound more like xmas and easter to me than the Jewish concepts expounded by Mr Abbott.

      Liat, if you don’t think that Rosh Hashana focusses us on family and community, introspection, faith and prayer, then what do you think it does actually mean for the Jewish people?

  3. Erica Edelman says:

    A great message Mr PM!
    May you continue to listen to the wiser
    Jews in your precious Australia so that we
    May have a “wiser” and more peaceful planet!

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