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    Jews around the world send Rosh Hashana wishes to detained reporter Evan Gershkovich

    The Wall Street Journal reporter has been held in Russia since March. Thousands have written him letters for the Jewish new year, as the campaign for his release hones in on next week's U.N. meeting.
    by Rachel Treisman Sep 15, 2023 5 minutes
    Evan Gershkovich stands inside a defendants' cage before a June hearing in Moscow.

    Rosh Hashana — the Jewish New Year — starts Friday night, beginning a 10-day period of prayer, self-reflection and repentance.

    Many American Jews will observe the holiday by attending services, hearing the sounds of a shofar (ram's horn), lighting candles and eating symbolic foods, among other traditions.

    And a considerable number are also sending New Year's well-wishes to a single stranger thousands of miles away: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been imprisoned in Russia since March.

    Gershkovich, the son of Jewish parents who emigrated from the Soviet Union in 1979, was raised in New Jersey and had been living and working in Russia for six years at the time of his arrest on espionage charges that he denies.

    The U.S. is working to secure his release, with President that he is "serious about a prisoner exchange."

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