September 18, 2009
Shana Tova U’Metuka!
Dear Friends,
As I do every year at Rosh HaShana, I would like to start off our weekly letter with some updated statistics about the State of Israel. As of this day, we 7,465,500 citizens, 75% of whom are Jews, with a Jewish population of 5,634,300. The number of Muslims and Christians combined in Israel is 1,513,200, and it is very interesting that a very large part of our population-318,000, is categorized as being “others”. This means that this population is not made up of Jews, Christians, or Muslims, and is mainly attributed to immigrants from the former Soviet Union, who are of Jewish patrilineal ancestry, but whom are not recognized by the Orthodox establishment in Israel as being Jewish. This is so, even though they live their lives as Jews, and is an issue which is a big challenge for the Israeli Reform movement today.
Today in Israel the life expectancy of a man is age 79, while the life expectancy of a woman is 83 years old. One of the most interesting pieces of data to me, is that 28% of our population is made up of children under the age of 14, while the average in Western countries in only 17%. This means that we are a young country that also has a lot of children. I personally think that this is a good sign for a better future.
In 2008/9, the Jewish population in Israel grew by 1.7%, while the Arab population grew by 2.6%. This is mainly because a Muslim woman on average has 3.9 children, while a Jewish woman has 2.8 children. It is even more intriguing to compare these statistics with those for Druze and Christian women, who have 2.2 children and 2.1 children respectively.Finally, last year 156,923 babies were born in the State of Israel (Lots of babies, Mazal tov!)
Among all of this data, I want to conclude with one number that is increasing every year, and that is the age that a man decides to marry. As of today, 62% percent of Jewish Israeli men are still single at the age of 30. Comparing that to the average number for Muslim men, which is only 39%, and it is easy to see why we sometimes have less weddings J.
In the midst of all these numbers, I would like to wish you all a Chag sameach! By now I hope that you are all already preparing for the Chag. In Haifa, we of course have a bit of a head start, but I have no doubt that many of you have already been preparing for some time now. I hope that this newsletter finds you ready to reflect on this New Year, and ready to make many new memories with your families and loved ones during the holiday season. One thing is for sure, the New Year would not be the same without all of our friends and colleagues in America, Europe, and Israel, and your warm wishes to me, the staff, and Congregation of Or Hadash. Thank you for taking the time to wish us a wonderful Shana Tova, and know that we will be thinking of you all, and the wonderful friendships that we share, with the blowing of the shofar.
1) Teaching Rosh HaShana to 500 Teenagers in Haifa Schools
On Tuesday, September 15th, I spoke at the Ironi Gimel High School in the Neve Shaanan neighborhood of Haifa, and on Wednesday, September 16th, I taught at the Alliance High School in the city. In both schools, I taught in auditoriums full of young Israeli students-250 students at each school, made up of 16 classes- about the holiday of Rosh HaShana, while spending time showing them the richness of many Jewish traditions from different countries. My favorite part was teaching the eager students about the shofar, and the differences between Eastern and European shofars. Overall, I found it to be a very nice experience as always, and I was impressed by the students’ participation and particular interest in the subject of the High Holidays in Israel.
2) Food for 180 Ethiopian Families- Mazon Bags for Rosh HaShana
Also on September 15th, 30 of our youth and adult volunteers gathered in the synagogue put together 180 food bags for needy Ethiopian immigrant families in Haifa. The bags were made up for those who need our help in order to have a decent holiday meal. Each major holiday, Or Hadash Tikkun Olam volunteers facilitates the same project to help the needy, however it never ceases to amaze me how important and meaningful this project is in the community. I’m sure our volunteers would agree that simple mitzvahs such as this can prove be the most gratifying of all. This great mitzvah was possible mainly due to our generous friends in Lexington, MA. Thank you so much!!
3) Preschool Holiday Ceremony
Yesterday, September 17th, a ceremony for the new class of Or Hadash Preschools, was held as a send off for many of the children’s’ first or second Rosh HaShana experience at home. During the ceremony, the children sung songs along with myself and the preschool teachers, and learned about symbols that everyone can understand no matter what age, such as important apples and honey. We wish a Chag Sameach to all of our Preschool children and their families!
4) Sisterhood Holiday Celebration with Single Parent Russian Immigrant Families
Yesterday, the Or Hadash Sisterhood also celebrated the New Year with 20 Russian immigrant children ages 2-6, and their families, at the New Center for the Family in Hadar, Haifa. This celebration is a part of this year’s program which involves using creative therapy to help single parents Russian immigrant families, and their small children, something that touches the hearts of all of our sisterhood volunteers. This excellent project is just one of our many contributions to the Boston-Haifa Partnership.
Once again, I would like to wish all of our friends and colleagues a warm, safe, happy, and most importantly healthy New Year!! May you all have a sweet 5770!
Chag Sameach,
Edgar