It is special and mazeldik (lucky) when the new school year coincides so closely with the Jewish new year. According to tradition when children first began cheder (the one-room Jewish school house of yore) the melamed (teacher) would put honey on the letters of the alef-bet to teach that learning is sweet.  Similarly, at Rosh Hashanah, we are up to the same tricks as we dip apples in honey and ask Gd to renew us with a shana tovah u'metukah- a good and sweet new year.

This year as part of our Gesher Green initiative we will be joining the Jewish National Fund and schools worldwide in focusing on our water- where it comes from, where it goes to, how do scientists measure water quality, and how do we keep it clean.  As Rosh Hashanah is the day when we celebrate Gd's creation of the world out of tohu va-vohu, a kind of watery chaos, what better time to begin our appreciation of G-d's gift of water?  Also, on Rosh Hashanah it is customary to go to a stream or a body of water to cast off our sins into the deep.  This ceremony is called tashlich and provides us with the opportunity to take our prayers out of the synagogue and into nature.

On behalf of Gesher's Board of Directors, and its entire faculty and staff, we wish you and your family, a very happy and healthy new year!