Happy New Year!

It surprises some that I never went to Times Square to welcome the New Year. Even though I’ve lived in or around New York City most my life, watching the “ball drop” first-hand, has no appeal. Never mind that I even got all my education in the city, including high school (Brooklyn Tech), college (Queens), seminary (Hebrew Union College), and graduate school (NYU), and the opportunity to join the revelers presented itself regularly. but I kept away. Staying home, with friends or family, was always a better option, although we always turn the TV on at 11:50 PM and off again at 12:10 AM, just to make sure it really happened.

I also spent a few New Year’s Eves in Jerusalem. As you could imagine, with Rosh Hashanah already getting plenty of attention earlier in the fall, many Israelis let the night of December 31 pass without much notice. Israelis, whether they celebrate or not, refer to the night as “Sylvester” follow a European practice of naming December 31 after Pope Sylvester who died that day in 335 CE. In many Orthodox Jewish communities, as you can imagine, marking “Sylvester” is discouraged, if not condemned. But there, as here, people go ahead and do whatever they want.

Following the common practice of wishing folks a “Happy New Year!”, it always feels like a good thing to do this time of year. After all, why pass on an opportunity to say a kind word to others, be they strangers or those we love.

With wishes for a healthy, peaceful, and better 2026 from our house to yours,
Rabbi Dennis Ross