A New Year’s Revolution

Tomorrow, I am asking for your birthday wishes.

Not online, not in person, and not even for me. Instead, please send your wishes to the birthday buddy I never knew, Hersh Goldberg-Polin z”l.

Like my own kids, Hersh attended Mamad HaRova and rooted hard for Hapoel Jerusalem. Beyond shared interests, Hersh stood for light, love, and peace, values that we aspire to imbue in our children.

At his funeral, Hersh’s father Jon immortalized the blessing   יהי זכרו מהפכה may his memory be a revolution. Herein lies my request:

Tomorrow, October 3^rd, marks both Hersh’s birthday and the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana. We have all made New Year’s Resolutions; this year I am asking you to make a New Years Revolution. Please reflect on the changes you would like to see in your life, in your community, and in the world at large, and consider the steps you can take to turn these changes into a reality. Feel free to share them with friends around the festive table, with friends at Synagogue, or in the depths of High Holiday Prayers.

And when you do so, please dedicate your wishes to the memory of Hersh, who should turn 24 tomorrow, but will instead remain forever 23, forever idealistic, and forever smiling.

Best wishes for a Happy, Healthy, and Peaceful New Year, and may Hersh’s legacy inspire our own New Year’s Revolutions.