Erev Rosh Hashanah: Potluck
We will hold a community-wide Rosh Hashanah potluck at the large Hoyt Park shelter, 3902 Regent Street. We gather at 5:00 p.m., and our community blessings will begin at 5:20 p.m. Please bring a vegetarian dish to share. We will provide challah, wine and juice, and apples and honey. No registration is necessary.
Rosh Hashanah: Tashlich
Tashlich, which literally translates to “casting off,” is a ceremony held on the afternoon of Rosh Hashanah. During this ceremony, Jews symbolically let go of their wrongdoings of the previous year by tossing pebbles or bread crumbs into a natural body of water. We will hold a gathering on the east side and a gathering on the west side outside members' homes at 3:00 p.m. on the first day of Rosh Hashanah and then walk to a lake. These locations are in our newsletter and Happenings. If you do not receive these, please contact the office. If you would like to do tashlich on your own, feel free to download this ceremony.
Yom Kippur: Yizkor
Our Yizkor service begins at 1:00 p.m. on Yom Kippur. We go through most of the traditional service but also leave time for individuals to say the name and a sentence about the person whom they are remembering and, if in person, place a stone in water. This will be held in the Atrium Auditorium and on Zoom.
Yom Kippur: Avodah
This unique gathering will be held at 2:15 p.m. Traditionally, Avodah is a recitation of the sacrificial service of the Temple in Jerusalem. Our ancestors brought sacred offerings to the Temple; today we bring a very different sort of offering -- offerings of poetry, music, and stories. Feel free to bring a poem, song, or story to share. This is a favorite among Shaarei Shamayim members and friends. This will be held in the Atrium Auditorium and on Zoom.
Yom Kippur: Speaker - Judge Everett Mitchell
Each year the Social Action Committee invites a speaker to discuss issues that are connected to communal teshuvah, the idea that as a community, society, or people we have committed wrongs. This will begin at 4:15 p.m. in the Atrium Auditorium and on Zoom. Visit our speaker's page for more information.
Yom Kippur: Break Fast
This year we will hold our community-wide break fast potluck after the last service on Yom Kippur. The meal will be held on site in the Commons of the First Unitarian Society. Please bring a vegetarian dish to share. (Feel free to leave it in the kitchen during Neilah services.)