High Holy Days

ALL SERVICES IN THE KRIEGER AUDITORIUM AND SANCTUARY WILL BE LIVESTREAMED HERE.

An oyster that has not been wounded in any way does not produce pearls? A pearl is a healed wound. Pearls are a product of pain, the result of a foreign or unwanted substance entering the oyster, such as a parasite or a grain of sand. The inside of an oyster shell is a shiny substance called “nacre.” When a grain of sand enters, the nacre cells go to work and cover the grain of sand with layers and more layers to protect the defenseless body from the oyster. As a result, a beautiful pearl is formed! No pain, no pearls. The most valuable oysters have endured the most pain.

The High Holy Days are a time of renewal and rebirth. Please join us this year as we pray, grow, and heal together, building community for the upcoming year and beyond.

Rabbi Joshua Z. Gruenberg

Watch Sermons from the High Holy Days below.

Rabbi Wechsler’s High Holy Day Sermons:
Erev Rosh HaShanah  - Tsundoku (Watch here)
Rosh HaShanah 1 - Turning the Handle Out  (Watch here)
Rosh HaShanah 2 - Jewish Apgar Scores  (Watch here)

Rabbi Gruenberg’s High Holy Day Sermons:
Erev Rosh HaShanah  - The Real Reason For Honey on RH  (Watch here).   Read PDF here
Rosh HaShanah 1 - An Epidemic of Loneliness  (Watch here). 
Rosh HaShanah  2 - Letting Go and Taking Control (Watch here).  

Yom Kippur

Kol Nidre ~ Erev Yom Kippur, Sunday, September 24

Minhah: Afternoon Service - 6:00 p.m. (Hoffberger Chapel)

Kol Nidre & Ma’ariv: Evening Service - 6:30 p.m. (Sanctuary)
*Please note:  This year, there will be one Kol Nidre service in the Sanctuary.  Our president Bob Hallock as well as Rabbis Gruenberg and Wechsler, will speak to the congregation during the service.
We will be gathering together this year as one community for Kol Nidre in the sanctuary. We know that many of you who sit in the sanctuary during the holidays have been sitting in the same seats for many years and draw great meaning from experiencing this moment from your makom kavua, your fixed seat. Therefore, if anyone who sits in the sanctuary would like to reserve your traditional seating, and anyone who has tickets for the Krieger service and would like a reserved seat for that night, please contact Judy Simkin (Jsimkin@chizukmamuno.org, (410) 486-6400 x232 in the office. We will take care of reserving the seat and of ensuring that you experience this important night from your makom kavuah.

Kol Nidre Family Service -  6:30 p.m. (Esterson Auditorium)

Yom Kippur, Monday, September 25:
Shaharit: Morning Service  - 8:45 a.m. (Sanctuary)

Amuno Minyan -  8:45 a.m. (Hoffberger Chapel) 
Contact Judy Simkin, jsimkin@chizukamuno.org to reserve your spot in the Amuno Minyan.

Torah Service - 9:45 a.m. (Sanctuary & Krieger Auditorium)
Yizkor Memorial Prayers Approx. - 10:30 a.m. (Sanctuary & Krieger Auditorium) 
Wings of Memory Book (PDF) 

One Hour Alternative High Holy Day Service - 10:30-11:30 a.m. (Room 252)
Led by Rabbi Jeremy Fierstein and Leslie Pomerantz.
Together we will explore themes of Yom Kippur through music and a deep dive into the story of Jonah, the most successful prophet in the Jewish canon. Fear and awe are powerful responses to the human condition and our awareness of them can change how we respond to the chaos of life. Through the story of Jonah we will interrogate his responses to these emotions, ruminate on how they impacted his decisions, and begin to understand how they impact our lives.

Musaf - 11:00 a.m. (Sanctuary & Krieger Auditorium)

For Grades K and Below: 11:15 a.m. Torah for Tots (Stulman Auditorium)
Please note: Registration is required online here.

For Grades K-4 and Families: 10 a.m. or 11:15 a.m. Family Service
(Esterson Auditorium)
Please note: Registration is required online. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Please Note: The 10 a.m. service is now full. 
Register for the 11:15 a.m. here

For Grades 5-8: Middle School Service: 10-11 a.m. (Faculty Room - 2nd Floor)

For Teens Grades 9-12: 11 a.m. -12 p.m. (Library Beit Midrash)

Yom Kippur Afternoon Experiences - 3 p.m.
Explore the themes of Yom Kippur through story, text, meditation, behavior, and history.
On Yom Kippur afternoon, our custom at Chizuk Amuno is to spend the hours between services in study, conversation and reflection.

Healing Service Led by Leslie Pomerantz 
*Please note there will be a guitar used during the service.

We hope this serves as a place for healing and also support for those of us who serve as caretakers. Each of us comes to this service from a different time and place along the journey of our lives: 

• Some to find a way to celebrate our healing and to thank God for bringing us back to health and well-being. 
• Some need to reach out to others to form a spiritual community for much-needed human support. 
• Some need to ask God for help in getting safely to the other side of an ordeal. 
• Some hearts ache with sorrow; disappointments weigh heavily upon them, and they have tasted despair; families have been broken, and loved ones lie on a bed of pain. Death has taken those whom they cherished. May our presence and sympathy bring them comfort.
•  Some are embittered: they have sought answers in vain; ideals are mocked and betrayed; life has lost its meaning and value. May the knowledge that we, too, are searching, restore their hope and give them the courage to believe that not all is emptiness. 
• Some spirits hunger: they long for friendship; they crave understanding; they yearn for warmth.

Walking into Teshuvah (Repentance)
A walking experience with discussion, silence, and niggun. 

The Prayerful Poetry of Yom Kippur
This session will be a text study of some of the most central prayers of Yom Kippur Day.

A Visual Exploration of the Themes of Yom Kippur
Led by Brina Pintzuk (Board Room)
This Yom Kippur-appropriate art class (no writing, cutting, tearing, gluing, etc) will be a hands-on exploration and expression of Yom Kippur’s ideas through paper media.

Ask the Rabbi
Kids Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Joshua Gruenberg - (Virtual - On Zoom) - 2 p.m.
Email Judy Simkin for the zoom link, jsimkin@chizukamuno.org.

Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Joshua Gruenberg (Adult) (Sanctuary) - 4 p.m. 
Each year on Yom Kippur afternoon we meet in the Sanctuary for a question and answer session with the Rabbi. Participants ask about theology, Jewish tradition and customs, current events, and any other pertinent questions they want to ask the rabbi. It’s a fun and insightful hour to which everyone is invited.

Minhah: Afternoon Service - 5 p.m. (Sanctuary)

Neilah - 6 p.m. Concluding Service
Be sure to bring your shofar! (Sanctuary)

Family Neilah Service  - 6:45 p.m. (Krieger Auditorium) 

Havdalah and Final Shofar blast - 7:23 p.m.
 

Thank you to the Blavatt family for sponsoring our break fast snacks.

Sukkot

Buy Your Lulav and Etrog here.
 

Erev Sukkot ~ Friday, September 29
Morning Minyan (Hoffberger Chapel) - 9:00 a.m.

Minhah/Ma’ariv - 6:00 p.m.
Followed by Kiddush in the Attman Family Sukkah

Sukkot 1 ~ Shabbat, Saturday, September 30
Festival Morning Services  (Sanctuary) - 9:30 a.m.
Followed by Kiddush lunch in the Attman Family Sukkah

Minhah/Ma’ariv (Hoffberger Chapel) -  6:00 p.m.
 

Sukkot 2 ~ Sunday, October 1
Festival Morning Services  (Sanctuary) - 9:30 a.m.
Sukkot Tots (Esterson Auditorium) - 10:30 a.m.
Family Service (Hoffberger Chapel) - 10:30 a.m.
Followed by Kiddush lunch and sundaes in the Attman Family Sukkah

Minhah/Ma’ariv  (Hoffberger Chapel) - 6:00 p.m.

Havdalah -  7:14 p.m.

Pizza in the Hut ~ Monday, October 2
5:30-6:30 p.m. (Family Seating) Register Here
7-8:30 p.m. (Adult Only Seating) Register Here
You are invited to join us in the Attman Family Sukkah for a community Sukkot pizza meal and fun!

Intermediate Days of Sukkot ~ Monday, October 2-Thursday, October 5
Morning Minyan (Hoffberger Chapel) - 7:00 a.m. 

Shemini Atzeret & Simhat Torah
Saturday, October 7

Hoshanah Rabbah & Erev Shemini Atzeret - Friday, October 6
Morning Minyan (Hoffberger Chapel) - 9:00 a.m.

Shir Shabbat & Erev Shemini Atzeret Service (Sanctuary) -  6:00 p.m.
Followed by Kiddush in the Attman Family Sukkah

Shemini Atzeret ~ Shabbat, Saturday, October 7
Festival Morning Services (Sanctuary)  - 9:00 a.m.
Yizkor  - 10:30 a.m.

Followed by a Kiddush lunch.

Erev Simhat Torah ~ Saturday, October 7
Minhah/Ma’ariv (Sanctuary) - 6:30 p.m.

Evening Festival Services / Hakafot 7:00 p.m. (Hoffberger Chapel Entrance/Horsehoe)    
Simhat Torah Honorees: On Simhat Torah we conclude the cycle of Torah reading for the past year and begin reading it anew. The honors of being called to the Torah for the concluding Aliyah of the year and the honor of being called to the Torah for the first Aliyah of the new reading cycle are considered very precious as we celebrate Simhat Torah.

Desserts & Schmooze - 8:30 p.m. 

Simhat Torah ~ Sunday, October 8
Classic Simhat Torah Service (Hoffberger Chapel) - 9:00 a.m.

Family-Friendly - Festival Morning Services  (Sanctuary) - 9:30 a.m.
*Summer Shul attire*

Torah, Torah, Torah for Tots (Stulman Auditorium)  - 10:30 a.m.
Young families will come together to prepare for the candy parade in the sanctuary, celebrate the Torah in a brief service and participate in a variety of holiday activities. 

Followed by a Kiddush breakfast for lunch.

Minhah/Ma’ariv (Sanctuary) - 6:00 p.m. End of Simhat Torah