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Governor John P. de Jongh Jr. this week extended greetings to the Jewish community in the Virgin Islands on the occasion of the “High Holidays,” the most important holidays of the Jewish year. He noted that the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, began at sundown on Wednesday.
“During this period, Jewish families gather to blow the shofar, which serves as an emotional high point during the period leading up to the High Holy Days, eat special foods symbolizing sweetness and attend religious services.” The ten-day holiday period, also known as “Days of Awe,” begins with Rosh Hashanah and ends with Yom Kippur, the “Day of Atonement.” Yom Kippur is a time for serious introspection, prayer and repentance.
This sacred time provides not just an opportunity for individual renewal and reconciliation but for families, communities and even nations to heal old divisions, seek new understandings and come together to build a better world for our children and grandchildren. “Cecile joins me in extending our best wishes to the members of the Jewish community for a healthy, peaceful, happy and sweet New Year,” he said.