High Holy Days

It’s a great question. Some things will be very familiar; some will be brand new. The pandemic has forced us to think (and re-think) just how we offer a High Holiday program that meets our community’s spiritual, religious, and personal needs. With that in mind, here are some of the things you can expect for this year’s High Holiday season:

 What will be familiar: 

• You will be able to see and greet your fellow congregants.
• Our High Holiday Machzor (prayerbook) will continue to be Mishkan HaNefesh (albeit online).
• You’ll see Mike Mullis, Karen Wood, and the choir singing familiar tunes, including Avinu Malkeinu, L’dor Vador, and others.
• You’ll see Sig Gast chanting familiar melodies and reading from the Torah scroll.
• Our Selichot program will occur on the Saturday before Rosh Hashanah – this year, learn to blow the shofar!
• Paul Ruskin will once again lead a “Fast ‘n Learn” session on Yom Kippur afternoon. The topic this year will be, “Who shall live and who shall die? Coronavirus and Yom Kippur”.
• You’ll see Karen Wood and Jacob Mullis sounding the shofar.
• We will seek out individuals who would like honors and those who would like to volunteer during the services and assign as many of those in advance. Keep an eye out for that survey.

What will be different:

• This year will be Rabbi Franken’s first time leading our congregation throughout the High Holidays.
• With the exception of Tashlich, our holidays will be celebrated virtually using Zoom video-conferencing technology. The service will be live and will include some pre-recorded material.
• Meeting up with your friends will occur in Zoom breakout rooms and chat functions rather than in Temple hallways and restrooms.
• Our congregational Rosh Hashanah seder will be virtual and celebrated on the evening before the first day of Rosh Hashanah rather than the second.
• The second day of Rosh Hashanah will feature a casual, interactive experience with a discussion of the binding of Isaac using contemporary literature, and some of our favorite familiar melodies. 
• We will provide Congregants suggestions on transforming areas of their homes into sacred spaces conducive to prayer and self-reflection.
• Congregants will have an opportunity to create and share brief videos. Just use your cell phone, keep it to 25 seconds or less, and then send the file to rpc@templeadasshalom.org. We will be consolidating these greetings/stories to playback to the congregation during the holidays. Please send us a video…
  • If you would like to provide a brief holiday greeting to the congregation.
  • If you have a Jewish artifact that is special to your family, tell us what makes it special. 
  • If you have a fun story or anecdote of a Jewish holiday that your family celebrated in the past.
• It will be far easier for family members, relatives, and others to participate in High Holiday services via Zoom, even if they are located at great distances. Spread the word!

We will be recording the services, so if you aren’t able to participate live or nodded off during (or really enjoyed!) one of the sermons, or you were interrupted unexpectedly, you will have the opportunity to watch the “replay” at your leisure.

B’Shalom,
Melissa Immel and Mark Wolkow
RPC Co-Chairs