The message reads, in part:
“The traditions of this holiday date back to ancient times, but its spiritual foundations have not lost their significance until today and are clear to the modern generation of Jewish people. The New Year is a time of good beginnings, moral self-improvement, and helping those in need.
Today, the Russian Jewish community is developing dynamically, reviving cultural, religious and educational centres, and promoting the teaching of tolerance, as well as civilised and respectful attitudes toward people of different ethnicities and faiths. This is particularly important: after all, civil accord is an essential condition for the successful development of our common Motherland.”