A MESSAGE FOR THE NEW YEAR

From Rabbi Barry L. Schwartz,
CEO, The Jewish Publication Society

“Some of these books have entertained me, some have challenged me or provoked me, some have created new insights, some have helped me grow. There are some I have read over and over again to taste their words and find comfort there….Virtually every one of my books has a memory or a story beyond that which is between its covers. Virtually every book is a friend—some old, some new, but a friend just the same. How do you say goodbye to such friends as these?”

Rabbi Leonard Troupp recently shared these beautiful sentiments as he sadly prepared to relinquish his rabbinic library. Like my colleague, I suspect that all of you in the JPS community reading this message are fellow bibliophiles. We share in the common love of books; the wisdom they illuminate and the imagination they invigorate. Although we did not originate the term People of the Book to describe ourselves, the expression is apt for a people and tradition that venerates the written word.

My prayer for the New Year is that we may continue our century-old mission to enhance Jewish literacy by publishing books of enduring worth. To sustain this mission will require new vision and new support. I look forward to counting you as a partner in this challenging but exciting endeavor.

So powerful is the place of the written word in our tradition that at these High Holy Days we intone the metaphorical prayer: May you be inscribed in the Sefer Hayim—Book of Life. May you and your loved ones indeed be written and sealed for a sweet and good new year.

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