'Shana Tova': PM Modi Extends Jewish New Year Greetings To Israel's Netanyahu

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday extended greetings on the occasion of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, to his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu.

In a post on X, PM Modi wrote “Shana Tova!”,

a Hebrew phrase meaning “Good Year”, while conveying his wishes to the Israeli Prime Minister, the people of Israel, and the Jewish community worldwide.

“Warmest #RoshHashanah greetings to my friend Prime Minister @netanyahu, the people of Israel and the Jewish community worldwide. Wishing everyone a new year filled with peace, hope and good health,” PM Modi said in his message.

Shana Tova!

Warmest #RoshHashanah greetings to my friend Prime Minister @netanyahu, the people of Israel and the Jewish community worldwide. Wishing everyone a new year filled with peace, hope and good health.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 22, 2025

Rosh Hashanah, which literally translates to “head of the year,” marks the beginning of the Jewish High Holy Days and is observed on the first and second days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, falling in September or October.

The festival is celebrated with prayers, reflection, and symbolic foods such as apples dipped in honey, representing the wish for a sweet new year.

The traditional greeting “Shana Tova U’Metuka” further expands the wish to mean “a good and sweet year.”

For the Jewish community, Rosh Hashanah is both a time of celebration and solemn introspection, leading into Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, considered the holiest day in Judaism.

By extending greetings, PM Modi reaffirmed India’s strong diplomatic ties with Israel and its outreach to the global Jewish diaspora during the festival.