Let us wish “a good and sweet year” to one other
The Lord said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work but present a food offering to the Lord.”
Leviticus 23:24
All Jewish people around the World are celebrating Rosh Hashanah – one of the main holidays in Judaism which name literally means “Head of the Year”. This is the time to start from the scratch and sum up what was done in the previous year which was extremely challenging.
But despite all obstacles Israel keeps its traditions to make Jewish people even more cohesive and strong!
That’s why our important mission as First Home in the Homeland program is not only to provide our families with intensive Hebrew classes, housing and necessary assistance but also introduce them into a local culture and history. Elvira, a recent arrival at kibbutz Revivim, explains: ‘We are new here, therefore it is very important to feel that everyone wants to help us become part of this country. I really enjoyed the pleasant and friendly atmosphere of our Rosh Hashanah meeting, which was interesting, informative and warm. We learned a lot about the holiday, its history and traditions. I suppose, it will be very useful for the main celebration next week.’
Every year First Home in the Homeland participants from different countries celebrate Rosh Hashanah together and learn about the holiday from their coordinators and educational workshops. While children do it at school and kindergartens. So, all of them know what they should do with apple and honey, why the shofar (horn) sounds and what our wishes in this holy evening are. For Lyubov who participats in the program at kibbutz Zeelim it was a great introduction to the holiday: ‘It was not something grand, but cozy and family. Our Hebrew teacher told us about Rosh Hashanah, we listened to songs together, sang them, and, of course, ate apples with honey! Our celebration was really good and sweet!’
Have a look at the photos to see how we are meeting 5783. (click on the image to enlarge)
Traditional apple and honey, Jordan Valley.
Preparing for Rosh Hashanah at school, Jordan Valley.
Shofar blowing, Dmirtii Smirnov (kibbutz Revivim), Kharchenko Maxim (kibbutz Mashabei Sadeh).
Since the beginning of the 2022 First Home in the Homeland program welcomed more than 220 families, there are over 100 Ukrainian immigrants among them, mostly mothers with children. The participants are spread throughout Israel from the South to the North. The integration of a new immigrant in Israel through First Home in the Homeland costs €450 per person. Support this wonderful program!
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