The New york-based Jewish cultural centre 92Y is using social media to call for a day of global reflection on September 29, ahead of the High Holy Days, and has created the hashtag #NewYearPrayer to spread its message.

Aiming to prompt people into thinking about how they could change their lives, the community centre has been posting a link to a recording of prayer written by Rabbi Peter Rubinstein, a director at 92Y: "May hope dispel the darkness. May our vision keep us strong. May loving kindness bring us peace".

To coincide with the initiative, Krakow's Jewish Community Centre will hold an open house event on September 29, at which they will ask participants to write blessings and hashtags on Rosh Hashanah posters, to be shared on social media.

Also on the same day, the Oshman Family JCC, the JCC in Palo Alto, California (the birthplace of the hashtag), will ask its members to jot down their prayers, which the centre will post on social media.

"We as Jews are lucky enough to have a calendar that has these set times that encourage us to reflect on our lives and set goals. And that's what this project is all about," said Joel Stanley, the director of Jewish innovation at the centre.