Shaked Angel's Holiday Message

As we conclude the year and prepare to usher in a new Jewish calendar year, I sat down to think about what message I, Shaked, would like to pass along in 5781.שפ
After giving this a long thought, I realized that this coming year should be about contemplation. I need to stop for a moment, think and take a hard look within myself, and ask all the tough questions I shy away from during normal times.

Carl Jung said: “Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside awakes.”
I intend to look inside, and ask myself: Am I a good father? Do I prioritize my family? Do I spend enough time playing with my boys and teaching them about the world and life?

Am I a good partner to my wife? Do I make her smile? Are we happy when waking up for work? Is my job challenging and engaging? And perhaps the most important question, is my life balanced?

For me this will be a year of reflection. Try to pause, take a bird’s eye view at 10,000 feet and have a look at who I am and what I should change to be a better, more productive human being.

The realty with COVID-19 is that we got a caseload of lemons; now we need to make a sweet, saturated lemonade. And the best way to do that is take a good hard look and be honest with myself and my surroundings.

I wish the Atlanta Jewish community happy new year, Shana Tova. May this year be a year of health, happiness and prosperity; may we become a more unified and stronger community as we continue to support one another.

Shaked Angel is regional director of the Israeli-American Council in Atlanta.