Erev Rosh Hashanah this Sunday evening is the start of the Jewish festival season. It is a time of spiritual and moral stock-taking, when we reflect on how we have conducted ourselves during the year that has passed and through that process find the wisdom and inspiration to go forward into the year that has just begun. It is also a time of celebration, goodwill and togetherness, both in our interaction with friends and family and at the broader level our embracing of the entire Jewish community. For all of us, for Israel and for the Jewish people everywhere in the world, may we be blessed with a year of success, health, happiness and peace.
While for most of us, Yom Tov is an opportunity for rest and relaxation, for the Community Security Organisation, it is an especially busy time. As always the CSO’s professional and volunteer workers, working in conjunction with the police, will be ensuring the safety of our community, maintaining the highest standards of vigilance and professionalism. We must cooperate with and assist the CSO to the greatest extent that we can, both by complying with the security recommendations they provide and by unquestioningly following their directives, particularly when travelling to and from shul. One cannot over-estimate the effect good security has in deterring potential attacks on Jewish lives and institutions. We also need to be constantly on the look-out for suspicious activity, particularly over this period, and to be sure to immediately report anything out of the ordinary to the CSO on 086 1800 018. Should you require any advice in improving the security of your installation, please email jhbroutine@cso.org.za.