The second Rosh Hashanah since the state of Israel was formed was observed in fully packed temples throughout the country. Premier David Ben Gurion and Cabinet Ministers and other government officials offered their prayers in the new temple in Northern Tel Aviv.
In many places throughout the city temples were improvised in private homes, chiefly those of Chassidic Rabbis. The National Committee for Soldiers organized a special collection of gifts for the servicemen.
Thousands of men and women throughout the country visited army posts and presented gifts to soldiers who were on duty. They also went to military and other hospitals, accompanied by young children, who presented flowers and gifts. In the soldiers’ clubs, festive celebrations were organized, with the participation of well-known artists and performers.
Israel Chief Rabbi Isaac Halevi Herzog, in a New Year’s message, called upon the Jews “from one end of the globe to another” to make the greatest possible efforts for the reception, absorption and rehabilitation “of myriads of immigrants streaming to Zion.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
