A Blessing of Peace for Our Jewish Neighbors this High Holiday Season

As our Jewish neighbors across Arizona, Nevada, and beyond prepare to observe the High Holidays—Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur—we in the Grand Canyon Synod of the ELCA extend our warmest greetings and deepest respect.

The Days of Awe mark a sacred season of reflection, repentance, and renewal in the Jewish tradition. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is a time to celebrate creation and begin again. Ten days later, Yom Kippur invites deep introspection, forgiveness, and reconciliation with God and one another.

In these holy days, we recognize shared values that span our traditions: the call to self-examination, the courage to change, the power of community, and the hope for peace.

As the shofar sounds and prayers rise from synagogues across our region and world, we offer a heartfelt blessing:

May the coming year be sweet with justice. May your prayers be heard and your hearts renewed. May God, who creates and sustains all, guide us all in compassion and peace. Shanah Tovah.

We join in the spirit of tikkun olam, the Jewish call to repair the world, as a sacred echo of our own Christian vocation to love our neighbor and seek the good of all people.

To all who observe these holy days, we say: L’shanah tovah tikateivu—May you be inscribed for a good and peaceful year.