CELEBRATE THE HIGH HOLY DAYS WITH TEMPLE ISRAEL OF BOSTON!
"Oh God, open my lips so my mouth may declare your praise.
You, O God, want mindful intention, not empty ritual, as You implore us to break open our hearts with contrition and seek forgiveness."
(adapted from Psalm 51:17)
You, O God, want us to show up with broken hearts. Yet, we do not have to do this alone. We are received in community. Therefore we pray, "May our shattered hearts and our prayerful words raise us higher toward You and to one another."
The Way of Humanity, by Martin Buber, translated by Rabbi Bernard Mehlman and Dr. Gabriel E. Padawer (z"l)
Our congregational read this year is The Way of Humanity: According to Chasidic Teaching by Martin Buber, translated by our Senior Scholar Rabbi Bernard Mehlman and Gabriel E. Padawer (z”l). This powerful book of meaningful Chasidic stories and Buber's original philosophical interpretations is a translation of the German transcription of a six-part lecture Buber gave to the Woodbrookers Association in 1947. Each chapter presents a clear path for living what Buber called "real life," - a life of meaning defined by a clear purpose and deep connections to the self, to others and to God. As we prepare for the High Holy Days, The Way of Humanity provides us with much food for thought and inspiration as we individually strive to live our most meaningful, purposeful life.
We will be studying this book as a community at Qabbalat Shabbat throughout Elul, and will also have an event with Rabbi Bernard Mehlman this fall.
Elul: A Month of Spiritual Preparation
Elul (לולא) is the name of the month in our Jewish calendar that immediately precedes the Jewish New Year and High Holy Days. As an acronym, the letters spell “Ani l’dodi, v’dodi li” — I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine — an expression of sweetness and commitment to drawing closer together. The month of Elul is one that fulfills the promise of drawing closer, awakening our inner lives through the call of the shofar, and preparing ourselves for the joy and renewal of the holiday season.
QABBALAT SHABBAT DURING ELUL
Fridays, September 6, 13, 20, 27 at 6:00 p.m.
Onsite and online
For each week of Elul, we will gather for Qabbalat Shabbat to sing melodies and explore texts that bring us into the themes of the High Holy Days in which we immerse ourselves. Each week will feature a deep dive into one of the chapters of our Congregational Read, The Way of Humanity, as we spiritually prepare ourselves for awakening and renewal; for t’shuvah, t’filah, and tzedakah.
SELF-GUIDED EXPLORATION
Online at www.tisrael.org/exploration
Throughout the month of Elul, we invite you to explore our interactive High Holy Day materials on our website. You will be able to journey through the High Holy Days at your own pace through various thematic lenses, or build your own High Holy Day experience based on which materials in the online library are most meaningful to you.
HIGH HOLY DAYS THROUGH THE MACHZOR
Thursdays, September 12, 19, 26 at 7:00 p.m.
Online
Join us for a 3-part online Hebrew class as we build and practice Hebrew reading skills while exploring the themes and meaning of the prayers of Mishkan HaNefesh in preparation for the High Holy Days. This class is designed for anyone with a familiarity with Hebrew decoding. There is no expectation of fluency, and all reading levels are welcome!
HIGH HOLY DAYS 101
Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur: September 16 at 7:00 p.m.
Sukkot & Simchat Torah: September 23 at 7:00 p.m.
Online
The High Holy Days can be a time of incredible spiritual growth and deep personal introspection. Yet, for many of us, the sheer breadth of these holidays might feel confusing or difficult to navigate. Join us for a free, hourlong online session as we break down the origins, symbols, texts, and traditions of these Days of Awe. All are welcome as we discover new meaning in these ancient and modern practices.
We start with S’lichot, which draws us into the
Days of Awe.
With candles illuminating our paths, we pose the eternal questions of our existence. Through exploration, forgiveness, and apology, we complete our spiritual preparation for the High Holy Days.
S'LICHOT
Saturday, September 28, 2024
4:45 - 6:30 p.m. | Family S'lichot and Dinner, onsite
Families with children in the Village and elementary age are invited to join us for dinner, a short service, and activities to prepare for the High Holy Days and mark the start of the new school year together.
7:00 p.m. | Community Dinner, onsite
Gather with the Temple Israel community for food, drink, and good conversation as we prepare to welcome in the High Holy Day season together.
7:30 p.m. | Spiritual Practice Lab, onsite and online
We enter into S'lichot by choosing a spiritual practice that seeks to open our hearts to the profound message of our High Holy Days. Spiritual modalities will include movement (onsite), art making (onsite), and text study (onsite and online).
9:00 p.m. | Candlelit Service, onsite and online
We prepare ourselves and our Torah for our season of holiness. With candles, music, and repentant meditation, we dress our Torah in white and ready ourselves for the holy days ahead.
Our High Holy Day Services
Our mission of living Judaism together is at the core of everything we do. One of the most crucial aspects of this mission is praying together. We invite you to join us onsite for any of the service options listed below. If you are unable to come into our building, our community has invested in being able to experience the life of the congregation together in mixed presence, onsite and online. We look forward to being together!
ALL ARE WELCOME:
COMMUNITY-WIDE SERVICES
We return this year on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, onsite and online, where we can sing, rejoice, and pray as one sacred community. Both evening and morning Sanctuary worship services are a joyous combination of our majestic and contemporary styles. We are a vibrant tapestry of sweeping poetry and beautiful music, instruments, and voices; we are both transcendent and immanent; we are Temple Israel; we are one.
3RD - 7TH GRADE: FAMILY SERVICES
Kids in 3rd - 7th grade and their families are invited to join Temple Israel clergy and musicians for music-filled and interactive services in celebration of the new year. If you are not able to join us onsite, there will be the option to livestream family services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
On Erev Rosh Hashanah, join us at 6:30 p.m. for a Family Schmooze with Dinner to meet old friends and new, and then we will all participate in the Community-Wide Service — a meaningful and uplifting moment to kick off the High Holy Days all together.
20s & 30s: RIVERWAY PROJECT SERVICES
For those in their 20s or 30s looking for a dynamic, inclusive, uplifting way to begin the year, join the Riverway Project on Erev Rosh Hashanah and Kol Nidre as we welcome 5785 both onsite and online. As a community of young adults, we will pray and sing, making connections with our tradition and with each other as we move into a fresh new year together. Spread the word to any young adults in your life who might want to join us.
0 - 2ND GRADE:
VILLAGE & YOUNG FAMILIES SERVICES
Calling all children ages 0 - 2nd grade and their grownups! Get ready to sing, dance, and play as we celebrate together with Temple Israel clergy and special guests. On Erev Rosh Hashanah and Kol Nidre, join us for early evening services. On Erev Rosh Hashanah, stay after the service for a Young Family Schmooze with Dinner. On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur mornings, join us for a service followed by a snack, story, and crafts. If you are not able to join us onsite, there will be the option to livestream Young Family services on both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
We look forward to welcoming you onsite and online as we join together in community. For onsite participants, please allow extra arrival time on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur for security.
We wish you a happy and sweet New Year!
ROSH HASHANAH 5785
ALL ARE WELCOME: COMMUNITY-WIDE SERVICES
7:30 p.m. Community-Wide Service Onsite & Online
EREV ROSH HASHANAH
Wednesday, October 2
8:45 p.m. Grand Homecoming Community Schmooze Onsite
0-2ND GRADE: VILLAGE & YOUNG FAMILY SERVICES 3RD-7TH GRADE: FAMILY SERVICES
5:00 p.m. Young Family Service Onsite & Online
5:45 p.m. Young Family Schmooze with Dinner Onsite
9:00 a.m. Community-Wide Service (Early) Onsite & Online
ROSH HASHANAH
Thursday, October 3
9:15 a.m. Young Family Service Onsite & Online
11:00 a.m. Family Tashlich Muddy River
6:30 p.m. Family Schmooze with Dinner before joining together at CommunityWide Service
7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary for the Community-Wide Service Onsite
9:00 a.m. Family Service Onsite & Online
11:00 a.m. Family Tashlich Muddy River
RIVERWAY PROJECT SERVICES
6:15 p.m. Riverway Service Onsite & Online
7:45 p.m. Riverway Dinner Onsite
ROSH HASHANAH DAY 2
Friday, October 4
11:30 a.m. Community-Wide Service (Late) Onsite & Online
1:30 p.m. Community-Wide Tashlich Muddy River
10:00 a.m. Lay-Led Service & Lunch Onsite & Online
2:00 p.m. Reverse Tashlich Muddy River
Round Challah Making Workshop
Sunday, September 29 at 12:30 p.m., onsite
Join us for a festive round-challah baking event to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, where we mix tradition with creativity and sweeten the new year ahead.
You're invited to our Grand Homecoming
Community Schmooze!
Wednesday, October 2 at 8:45 p.m., onsite
Come schmooze with friends both new and old as we ring in the new year! Together, we’ll celebrate the start of 5785 with fabulous food, delectable drinks, and, most importantly, the warmth of community.
Together, we symbolically cast away our transgressions.
We invite you to participate in Tashlich ("to cast away"), a beautiful ritual on Rosh Hashanah that allows us to symbolically cast our wrongdoings into the water. We will meet at the Muddy River on Thursday, October 3 at 11:00 a.m. (after the family and early Rosh Hashanah morning services), and at 1:30 p.m. (after the late Rosh Hashanah morning service). We will have rice to cast into the river, or you can bring your own. We look forward to wishing you a Shanah Tovah, greeting you, and sharing this beautiful, musical experience with you.
Help clean the Muddy River with Reverse Tashlich.
Friday, October 4 at 2:00 p.m., onsite
During Tashlich we symbolically cast our transgressions into the water. At the same time, our literal waterways suffer from the pollution of human wrongdoings. Join us for a "reverse Tashlich" by helping to clean up the Muddy River and learn more about how we can care for our local waterways.
Temple Israel Commemorates October 7
Sunday, October 6, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. Onsite & Online
We remember October 7, 2023 as one of the most painful and terrifying days in recent Jewish history. What has followed has led all of us to a shadow side of what we thought we knew about antisemitism in the U.S. and yet has also exposed us to the strength and resilience that have kept us together for these millenia. To prepare for this first yahrzeit, Temple Israel of Boston will gather on the evening of October 6, 2024 in a circle of honor, mourning, and remembrance of where we were and where we are now. There have been many words written and spoken over the past year about October 7. For this night of remembering, we put those words aside and share song, poetry, and ourselves, gaining strength through blessed community.
Monday, October 7, 2024
We will be joining the Greater Boston Jewish commmunity in commemorating October 7.
YOM KIPPUR 5785
KOL NIDRE
Friday, October 11
YOM KIPPUR MORNING
Saturday, October 12
BETWEEN SERVICES: STAY IN THE DAY
Saturday, October 12
YOM KIPPUR AFTERNOON
Saturday, October 12
5:45 p.m. Community-Wide Service (Early) Onsite & Online 8:15 p.m. Community-Wide Service (Late) Onsite & Online
9:00 a.m. Community-Wide Service (Early) Onsite & Online 11:30 a.m. Community-Wide Service (Late) Onsite & Online
1:30 p.m. Meditative Spaces, Teen Gathering, Poetry as Prayer, Gathering with the REDI Team, Ask the Clergy
Yom Kippur Break Fast: Following Neilah and Havdalah, we will have the chance to gather for a light and delicious break fast to share the end of Yom Kippur together!
Sunday, September 29 at 12:30 p.m., onsite
May you and yours be sealed in the Book of Life!
Deepen your Yom Kippur experience.
Yom Kippur Afternoon: Stay in the Day
Saturday, October 12 at 1:30 p.m.
Between Yom Kippur morning and afternoon services, we invite you to stay in the day and participate in a choice of facilitated conversations, or find one of many spaces inside the Temple Israel building and along the Muddy River for meditative quiet, movement, art making, and family gatherings.
Facilitated Conversations:
• Meditative Spaces, onsite.
• Teen Gathering with Fallon Rubin, onsite.
• Poetry as Prayer, Prayer as Poetry with Rabbi Suzie Jacobson, onsite and online.
• Gathering with the Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) Team. Our conversation will lead us to build deeper relationships and challenge ourselves to be a community where everyone truly belongs. Onsite and online.
• Ask the Clergy: Delve into the themes of the holidays, onsite and online.
Participate in our annual Food Drive.
For over two decades, Temple Israel has given the Greater Boston Food Bank their largest single-day delivery of food through our Yom Kippur Food Drive. We invite you to make an onsite food donation between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, or join us with a financial contribution through our website.
Righteous Impact During the Days of Awe
Each year we select several organizations to support through our communal tzedakah effort. Please consider a donation into one of the tzedakah boxes in the Atrium. This year’s partners all pursue righteous impact in areas of interest and action for our Temple Israel community.
Center for Common Ground
The Center for Common Ground is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing voter engagement and registration, particularly among historically marginalized communities. Their work is crucial in the current political climate, where voter suppression and disenfranchisement efforts are increasingly prevalent. By providing resources, education, and advocacy, the Center empowers underrepresented voters to participate fully in the democratic process. Temple Israel participates in several Center for Common Ground initiatives, including voter education campaigns, phone and text banking, and the distribution of voting guides. In doing so, we help ensure that all voices in our democracy are heard and that the electorate is more inclusive and representative of the population.
The Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism (IMPJ)
The IMPJ is a vibrant and inclusive movement, with a rich history dating back to the early 20th century. With over 50 congregations and initiatives across Israel, the IMPJ has been instrumental in promoting progressive values and religious pluralism in Israeli society through education, life cycle events, and justice campaigns. Today, IMPJ continues to make a significant impact, including advocating for equal rights and religious equality. In response to the humanitarian emergency in Israel, the Israel Reform Movement, along with its rabbis, congregations, and volunteers, is mobilizing to aid those directly affected in the Sha'ar HaNegev (Gaza Envelope) region and across central and southern Israel as they grapple with the ongoing crisis.
Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center (SJPHC)
The Southern Jamaica Plain Community Health Center is dedicated to providing comprehensive healthcare services and addressing inequities across the social determinants of health with a racial justice and equity lens. Many patients, families, and community members face structural barriers when trying to access affordable and healthy food. SJPHC operates free, nutritious food distribution twice weekly through partnerships with local organizations, community gardens, and lots of volunteer people power. By addressing food inequity, SJPHC not only improves immediate health outcomes, but builds community connections and promotes long-term wellness and equity for all. Temple Israel is proud to partner with SJPHC in these efforts, ensuring that mutual aid, equity, and justice continue to be centered and celebrated in all our partnerships.
SUKKOT 5785
Sukkot reminds us of our communal obligation to face outwards with open hearts to ease suffering and heal our fractured world. Join us in our Sukkah of Justice & Compassion for a night of heartfelt prayer, festive food, and music.
EREV SUKKOT
Wednesday, October 16
5:45 p.m. Schmooze and Festive meal for all ages Onsite
6:30 p.m. Festival Service in the Sukkah of Justice & Compassion Onsite & Online
7:30 p.m. Festival Oneg Onsite
9:00 a.m. Sukkot Festival Service and Torah Study Onsite & Online
SUKKOT
Thursday, October 17
SHABBAT SUKKOT
Friday, October 18
SUKKOT
Tuesday, October 22
9:30 a.m. Village (Ages 0-5) Sukkot Celebration Onsite
11:00 a.m. Sukkot Festival Qiddush Onsite
6:00 p.m. Qabbalat Shabbat with guest speaker Rebecca Hart Holder, President of Reproductive Equity Now. Onsite & Online
6:00 p.m. Riverway Sukkot Harvest Festival (20s & 30s) Onsite
SIMCHAT TORAH 5785
We celebrate the conclusion of one cycle of Torah reading, and immediately begin anew! See the Torah with fresh eyes as we unroll our scrolls and go back to the source, reading various familiar passages, and learning some of our clergy’s favorite texts. Stay afterwards for music and dancing with the Torah on Nessel Way!
EREV SIMCHAT TORAH
Wednesday, October 23
SIMCHAT TORAH
Thursday, October 24
5:00 p.m. Consecration for Kindergarten and All New Students
Onsite
5:00 p.m. Food & Celebration for all ages Onsite
6:00 p.m. Erev Simchat Torah: An Immersive Torah Experience
Onsite & Online: Don't miss our innovative Torah-Cam!
7:15 p.m. Dancing and Dessert Onsite
9:00 a.m. Simchat Torah Festival Service and Yizkor Memorial Service Onsite & Online
9:30 a.m. Village (Ages 0-5) Simchat Torah Celebration Onsite
11:00 a.m. Simchat Torah Qiddush Onsite
More High Holy Day 5785 Details
HIGH HOLY DAY 5785 TICKETS
Tickets based on previous service preference times will be mailed to members in good standing on a rolling basis late summer/early fall. Information about purchasing extra tickets for visiting family members or securing reciprocal tickets to fellow URJ congregations is available at www.tisrael.org.
We are pleased to offer complimentary tickets to military personnel and to full-time undergraduate students. For any questions regarding your tickets, please reach out to tickets@tisrael.org.
YIZKOR MEMORIAL BOOK
Our Yizkor Memorial Book at Temple Israel honors our tradition by automatically including the names of Temple Israel members and their loved ones who have passed away within the last two years, as well as those who have plaques in the memorial alcove or on the memorial menorah.
If you would like to include a listing for your loved one who passed away more than two years ago and does not have a plaque, please visit www.tisrael.org/memorial-book and complete the form. We kindly request a contribution of $25 per name to help cover production costs. You can also submit your information via email or mail, attention: Sue Misselbeck, along with a check payable to Temple Israel. All submissions must be received by September 20, 2024. For further assistance, please contact Sue Misselbeck at susanm@tisrael.org or 617-566-3960.
PRAYERBOOK PICKUP: A LENDING LIBRARY
For optimal viewing of the liturgy during our online prayer experiences, we suggest you have our prayerbook in front of you in book form or electronically. During September, we will lend out copies of Mishkan HaNefesh, the Reform Movement machzor for the High Holy Days, to TI members in good standing, while supplies last.
Please contact Emma Savitz at tickets@tisrael.org. We ask that you return them after the High Holy Days. You may also purchase a copy of the prayerbook on our website at www.tisrael.org/prayerbooks.
MACHZOR BOOKPLATE
Our High Holy Days machzor, Mishkan HaNefesh, is the result of collaboration between rabbis, cantors, lay leaders, and members of Reform congregations. Consider dedicating a bookplate, in the amount of $72, to be placed in the front of one of our beautiful machzorim to remember or honor a loved one, teacher, or friend. Please contact Emma Savitz at 617-566-3960 or tickets@tisrael.org.
