With the weighty and difficult days of the Yamim Noraim behind us, we look ahead to Sukkot; but this year the zman simchateinu we associate with this chag is hard to find. With the news on Sunday of the drone attack in the north, we are steeped in the heaviness that has permeated this entire year. How can we celebrate with joy when there is so much sadness and pain? And yet, Am Yisrael Chai, the Jewish people live, and our strength is in our resilience, so we will celebrate. It may look a little different—and it should—but we will gather in our sukkot b’simcha and daven for Hashem to protect the people of Israel, our soldiers, our hostages and Jews around the world, the way He protected us in the desert.

In these uncertain times, family and community sustain us. The Jewish community has come together in incredible ways to help each other and infuse the mundane with meaning. We bring that effort to the 2024 Jewish Link Fall Food and Drink magazine which highlights a new Israeli collaborative winery venture in the Judean Hills, recipes incorporating techina in interesting ways, and white wines from Israeli wineries—along with other interesting, seasonal and delicious offerings. We hope you enjoy this addition to your holiday reading, and may we hear besorot tovot. Chag Sameach from The Jewish Link!