Wednesday 8 September 2021

Happy New Year - Keren David

 It’s Jewish new year today – a time when we reflect on the year that’s gone past and look ahead to the one to come. And what a year it has been!  



A year of lockdown and working from home. A year with no (or very few)  in-person school visits, and closed bookshops. A year of Zooming into classrooms. 

A year starved of human contact, a year of worry and strain and fear.

A year in which the importance and value of the natural world became ever more obvious. A year to reflect on climate change and how we can change and do better for our planet.

A year when our pets became essential mental health workers. 

A year of Zoom and Teams and strained connections. A year of working with colleagues I'd not even met. 

 A year of gratitude for the work of scientists and doctors and nurses. A year of vaccinations. A year of waiting and relief. 

A year  -  alas -  of conspiracy theories and fear-mongering, of panic and ignorance.

A year of inequality and unfairness, but also a year of charity and community.

A year in which writing was difficult. A year in which reading was essential. A year of box sets and bingeing TV. 


A year to reconsider priorities and ask questions about the state of publishing and the power structures within it. A year to listen to minority voices.

A year in which I spoke up about racism that affects me and mine. A year in which I faced my fears, and magnified the voices of those who survived the Shoah (the Holocaust).  A year in which Jewish kids in schools suffered antisemitism from their peers -  and were handed my book to help them through it. A year of sorrow, and pride, and carrying on regardless. 

A year in which human contact -  meeting friends for a coffee – was sweet and precious and full of joy

A year in which I was very grateful not to be home-schooling.

A year to remember. A year to move on from. A year in which we lost so many.

 A year out from normal life. A year in our houses.

A year like no other.  What will next year bring? 

Wishing all of you a sweet, happy and healthy new year.
   
( At Jewish New year we dip apple in honey for a sweet and healthy new year. The traditional food is honey cake, and you can find recipes galore here. Keren David's latest book is What We're Scared Of, published by Scholastic) 



2 comments:

Mystica said...

A very happy new year to you too. This last year and a half have been so eventful, all what you wrote is so true.

Rowena House said...

Happy New Year, Keren. What a past year, indeed. I hope an ease with writing (of sorts, at least)returns.