"Special days and feasts have a particular value in enriching the social life in our country, where several different religions and cultures have been co-existing for centuries. In this entirety, every citizen of Turkey, no matter what his faith is enjoys and practices his own traditions and cultures freely and thereby contributes his own colours to the spectrum of the social life. According to the Hebrew calendar, the first and second days of the month Tishrei is accepted as the beginning of the New Year by the Jews. This significant day, which falls on 28-29 September this year, has been celebrated for centuries as the Rosh Hashanah by our Jewish citizens. On this happy occasion, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations for the Rosh Hashanah to our Jewish citizens and wish them a healthy and fruitful new year."