July 29, 2021 - August 8, 2021, 12:00 am

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REGISTER NOW HERE FOR THE HIGH HOLIDAYS

Togetherness: High Holidays 2021 / 5782

Shalom! The past year and a half has been a year of unprecedented pain, loneliness, and loss. It has also been a year of unforeseen innovation, capacity for compassion, and creative ways of creating a Jewish community that we had never imagined.

More and more people in our community are vaccinated, thank God. We have seen – and I predict will continue to see – that maximum vaccination will provide our best path to being able to gather physically without fear.

This year, we will be having as many in-person gatherings as possible for the High Holidays. At the same time, to be safe, we will be meeting at approximately 50% capacity indoors. Because of this, we will be asking congregants to rank the services that they most want to attend each day of the holidays. We are committed to everyone being able to attend at least one first-choice service. We will also offer live streaming for our Lower Level Prayer Space and our Goldsmith Hall services. Additionally, there are several outdoor gathering opportunities.

We are looking forward to having many of our volunteer leaders joining us for services. Also, we are excited to welcome Rabbi Rafi Cohen, a Kansas City and Beth Shalom alum, who is now the admissions director for the Jewish Theological Seminary Rabbinical School.

This summer has been exhilarating as we have begun to open up more and more. We have celebrated B’nai Mitzvah, we have gathered to honor milestone birthdays and anniversaries, and we have also been able to finally say kaddish physically in person. I pray that these holidays will continue to remind us of the unique connection that comes from sharing physical space together.

I pray that these holidays give you renewal, an opportunity for reflection and healing, and a chance for holy celebration with friends and family.

Below are short descriptions of our different service offerings.

Wishing you an early Shanah Tovah,

Rabbi David M. Glickman

Please Register Now for the High Holidays by August 8, 2021.

Let us know your options for your service of choice, and we will be assigning services accordingly.

Description of High Holiday Services 2021/5782

Traditional Service: Goldsmith Hall*. This service will be led by Rabbi Glickman and Hazzan Ben-Yehuda on the first day of Rosh HaShanah, Kol Nidrei, and Yom Kippur. Rabbi Cohen and Rita Cortés will be leading this on the second day of Rosh HaShanah. They will include a somewhat abbreviated Shacharit, a full Torah service, and somewhat abbreviated Musaf.

Musical Instrument Service: Lower Level Prayer Space*. This service was held in the Social Hall at the JCC during the years that we prayed together there. It is about 30 minutes shorter than the Traditional Service. It is led by Rabbi Cohen, a team of volunteers, and a group of local instrumentalist musicians.

Rimon Service*. For the past eight years, Rabbi Glickman and Hazzan Ben-Yehuda have been offering this educational and welcoming service on the second day of Rosh HaShanah. Expect a shorter service, some interactive discussion, lots of singing, and (synagogue appropriate) casual dress. There will be an abbreviated Torah service, and everyone will have an opportunity to participate in a group aliyah to the Torah. This service is appropriate for all ages, and for multi-generational families.

Pavilion Service. Last year we had wonderful ways to connect outdoors. Even though we are returning to indoor prayer, so many people loved the feeling of being together in the open air, we are offering it again. This service will highlight the holiday Musaf service, in which are most of the beloved prayers and melodies of the holidays. This service will not include a Torah service but will include opportunities for reflection and discussion on the High Holiday Season themes.

Family Education Experience. Due to the inability of children under 12 to be vaccinated, we will not be offering drop-off youth programming. This service option is geared for family units with Kindergarten through 6th-graders and is a brand-new family education experience built by our director of youth and family programming. This service option includes a 30-minute family-friendly service led by Jamie Katz, Farrah Udell, and Beth Albee. There are also interactive and experiential family experiences where families will rotate to different stations to dive into the experiences and prayers of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. This is not a drop-off program and parents will need to stay actively engaged with their children as this is a program for the family to participate in together. We will need full parent participation for this program to be successful in its practice and safety. Experience 1 will be the same as experience 2 so please only sign up for one of the two experiences.

Preschool Service*. Every year, our high holiday preschool services are a BIG DRAW. Parents, grandparents, and other favorite adults are invited to join their preschoolers for a fun, song-filled service to welcome the Jewish new year.

Tashlich. Tashlich is held at a local park to symbolically cast our sins into the water. This service is our community’s favorite. Singing, snacks, shofar blowing, and a chance to wish everyone a sweet new year. Families dress casually, bring friends, and often their dogs!

*Services with an asterisk will be broadcast on our website.