As Jewish people around the world gather with loved ones this Rosh Hashana, our hearts and minds are with Evan Gershkovich, the jailed Wall Street Journal reporter who has been wrongfully detained by Russian authorities for five months.

Yesterday, Jewish Federations launched a system-wide campaign to collect Rosh Hashana messages of support for Evan. We will compile the greetings into a collective letter that will be sent to Evan in prison in time for Rosh Hashana, so that he can hear from those who stand with him around the world this Jewish New Year. Additionally, we will deliver the letters to Evan’s family with the hopes of providing comfort and as something to look forward to giving their son upon his return.

In just one day, we have received hundreds of letters from around North America and beyond, and received coverage in outlets such as JTA, The Jerusalem Post, the Times of Israel, The Forward, and eJP. This is a true embodiment of the phrase “Kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh” - “All Jews are responsible for one another,” as well as a testament to the values of our Federation system to care for every Jewish person who is in trouble.

We encourage you to show your support for Evan by writing a letter and engaging your communities to do the same. Messages can be sent by going to jfeds.org/shanatovaevan and you can click here for a toolkit with resources to help your Federation share this important call to action with your communities.

The more people who participate in this project, the louder will be our voice of love and support.