Happy New Year from Israel

As we all know it was not an easy year for any of us here in Israel. We were forced to wage a war against Hamas in Gaza after eight years of non-stop rain of Qassam Rockets on towns and settlements near the Gaza Strip. We are still waiting for Gilad Shalit to join his parents after more than three years of captivity by Hamas in Gaza.

Unfortunately Israel’s standing in the international arena has not improved in the past year, especially in Europe where the internal Muslim growth is a concern to many of the  European countries and is causing the wave of the new antisemitism which stems from anti-Israel sentiments.

With all that in mind plus the economic Tsunami of late last year, Israel:

• went to elections,
• overcame most of the difficulties in their economy, even though the unemployment rate remains just over 8%,
• improved the relationship with the most important Arab country in the region, Egypt,
• we hope for constructive talks with the Palestinians in the near future and
• we are all praying that the coming new Jewish year will bring salvation to Israel (the new Jewish Year is התש”ע, which comes from the root of the word for “salvation”).

I would like to wish all of us a new year of peace in the world, improved economy, much health and a fulfilment of the dreams of each and every one of us.