For the last 99 years, my wife’s family has owned a men's clothing store in Boro Park, Brooklyn, New York called “Wallach’s.” Aliza grew up in this store – her grandmother would have her ring up customers when she was a little kid – and it was practically her home. It was her Shop Around the Corner (You’ve Got Mail reference), and she loved every second of it.

Shopping at Wallach’s is like going back in time. The floors are creaky, the changing room has a single light bulb with a string, and they still use a manual credit card machine (if you know what that is). They decorate the mannequin every season in the store windows, and everyone on the block knows what they ate for breakfast. I happen to know all this firsthand, because well before I married Aliza my mom used to take me to buy suits there when I was a kid (they have a really good husky boys’ section).

The store started in 1924 when Aliza’s great-grandfather set up a pushcart in front of the current location, eventually saving enough to purchase the property. It passed on to his son and eventually his son’s wife, Aliza’s grandmother, who had come to this country as a 16 year old Holocaust survivor. She took the store to the next level and kept it going, passing it down to my in-laws.

But slowly things began to change. The neighborhood shifted from mixed Jewish / Italian to mostly Hasidic Jews who don’t usually wear Calvin Klein suits. The store tried to evolve with the times, but still faced insurmountable challenges. Customers would come into the store and show my in-laws how items were cheaper on Amazon. The margins kept getting smaller until they just couldn't compete. But my in-laws hung on because the store was everything they ever knew. It was such a part of them and for so long they just couldn't let it go.

Then some weeks ago, an opportunity to sell the property came about – and now the store will be closing down in just a few days. After surviving nearly a century, Wallach’s will soon be no more.

Change is really hard. It’s been heartbreaking to watch the final chapter of something passed down in my wife’s family for 99 years. The outpouring of support from the community has been amazing, as they say their final goodbyes to the old neighborhood, and the ghost of the old pushcart from 1924.

But even if it hurts sometimes, change is necessary. One of the primary themes of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is our responsibility to look inside and see what we have to change about ourselves to keep growing. And in this quest to reach our potential as human beings, it's vital to develop the ability to accept change and move on – no matter how strong our feelings of attachment to something or someone may be.

This past year our organization hit a ceiling as our rapid growth finally outpaced our capacity. We had to accept some tough changes in order to continue building JGSI into the preeminent movement for Jewish grad students across North America. It was hard, but we are confident in these decisions and excited for our future in this New Year.

Join me in saying l'chaim to 99 years of Wallachs, and l'chaim to real change within all of us in 5784