2023 High Holy Days Booklet

high holy days

2023 5784

L’Shanah Tovah Tikatevu from the Clergy & Leadership of Temple Sinai

Rabbi Michael A. White

Rabbi Ilana Schachter

Cantor Sergei Schwartz

Cantor Elena Schwartz

Lee Mirrer Executive Director

Officers

Allen Geller Presdient

Liz Wiener Neale • Scott Nussbaum

Tammy Szerencsy Secretary

Richard Blatt

Lauren Borkon

Jacqueline Covey

Frank D’Ambrosio

Lynne Falkowitz

Deborah Glennon

Jana Grotas

Charles Berman

Howard Berrent

Amy Braunstein

Irwin A. Cantor

Jonathan Cheris

Richard Evans

Jeffrey Sklar

Executive Vice President/Treasurer

• Amy Pepper

Vice Presidents

Board of Trustees

Steven Halpern

Charlotte Hollander

Norm Hollander

Ginny Jordan

Bert Kraus

Maribeth Kraus

Rob Kuppersmith

• Adam Weinschel

Charles Weiss Legal Counsel

Daniel Marvin

Danielle Massari

Adam Mesh

Anne Niesenbaum

Gil Vilkas

Leslie Wollin

Tracy Zimmerman

Honorary Trustees

Michelle Golden

Dr. Steven Goodman

Barbara M. Kessler

Richard C. Laskey

Martin Marlowe

Daniel S. Reich

David Schwartz

Michael Shaffet

Sandra Tankoos

Carol B. Weinstock

Howard J. Weisler

Toni Wiener

high holy day ticket information

Rosh Hashanah begins Friday, September 15 at 7:30pm. High Holy Day tickets are only provided to congregants in good standing.

As a reminder, in order to receive your High Holy Day tickets (whether you are joining us in person or virtually) you must renew your membership for 2023-24 and ensure your account is up-to-date. If you need to pay your bill so you can receive your tickets, please contact Mara Rosenwasser in the temple office at 516.621.6800 x102 or mrosenwasser@mysinai.org.

For your convenience, Mara will be in the office until 7:00pm on Tuesday, September 12.

The Process

We look forward to worshiping with you in our beautiful sanctuary. For those of you who will be travelling or otherwise unable to join us in person, all services held in the sanctuary will be available via livestream.

• All members in good standing will receive an email that includes a unique registration code and a link to your simple High Holy Days Registration Form.

• Complete your form by indicating whether you will be attending in person or virtually. If you will be joining us in person, select the services you will be attending and the number of people in your household who require a ticket (your membership includes tickets for family members ages 30 and younger who reside in your household).

• During the registration process, you will also be able to purchase two guest tickets for members of your immediate family. You will also be able indicate if you would like additional guest tickets should they become available.

• Once you submit your registration form, you will receive a confirmation email.

• Tickets will include a QR Code to be scanned at the door. For your convenience, your tickets will be sent via both email and SMS text messages several days prior to services, and again, the day of.

• Due to space constraints, we will be unable to offer reciprocal tickets for out-of-town guests.

Complete details on the High Holy Days ticketing process will be sent via email to the entire congregation.

schedule of services

Selichot

Saturday, September 9

Erev Rosh Hashanah

Friday, September 15

Rosh Hashanah - First Day

Saturday,

16

Children’s Service (K-4)Open

Rosh Hashanah - Second Day

Sunday, September 17

Everyone Children & Families Tots & Families

the days of awe

The ten days starting with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur are commonly known as the Days of Awe (Yamin Noraim) or the Days of Repentance (Asseret Yemei HaTeshuvah). This is a time for serious introspection, a time to consider the mistakes of the previous year and repent before Yom Kippur.

Selichot - Saturday, September 9

The High Holy Day season begins with Selichot, a collection of psalms, poetry, and prayer meant to inspire us to begin the process of t’shuvah - returning. Selichot re-introduces us to the High Holy Day melodies and themes, opening us up to the essential work of the Days of Awe.

Erev Rosh Hashanah - Friday, September 15

We come together to encounter the quiet of the evening that introduces us to the first day of possibility. We gather the strength to engage in personal and communal renewal as we dedicate ourselves to bringing in the New Year in prayer and peace.

Rosh Hashanah-First Day - Saturday, September 16

Today is the Birthday of the World. We have arrived. It is the day to hear the call of the shofar deep within us all, to be in radical amazement of the world that surrounds us. The synagogue buzzes as our family, friends, and community are called together for a day of reflection and renewal.

Tashlich

Start the year with a pure, whole heart by throwing breadcrumbs into the water, symbolizing regrets of the past year you wish to cast off.

Rosh Hashanah-Second Day - Sunday, September 17

The reflection continues. We gather again to resume our search. The Akedah, the story of Abraham’s near sacrifice of Isaac his son, challenges us to our core and defines the mood of this service. Through the liturgy, we seek acceptance of our limits and the finding of our truth.

Kol Nidre - Sunday, September 24

The sun sets, ushering in the holiest day of the year. At Kol Nidre we pray with each other, with all of our imperfections and longings for healing. The liturgy and legendary medley of songs speaks of our annulment of vows and invites us in to break new ground and create space for something new.

Yom Kippur - Monday, September 25

This is the day we all pass before God – a God who is merciful, compassionate, abounding in love and forgiveness. We ask to be granted release. We seek to be made whole, to begin anew, to move forward with our lives with all of the potential and promise that lies within each one of us.

kol nidre appeal

Every year, Temple Sinai reaches out during the High Holy Days to ask for your support. The origin of this request comes from our sacred text. In Leviticus, Chapter 23 we read:

The Lord said to Moses, The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present an offering made to the Lord by fire.

The offering described here is an animal, a part of your flock, a part of your estate. The Hebrew word for offering, korban, shares its root with the words to be close – when we make an offering, we draw closer to God. Today, while we no longer sacrifice animals as religious practice, we continue to make offerings; we take something that is precious to us and we offer it. Our tradition teaches us that such an offering has the power to draw us closer to our community, to one another, and to God. We invite you to draw closer to Temple Sinai with a Kol Nidre gift.

Your generous contribution will help our congregation sustain the high level of quality programs, services, staff, and support systems of which we are collectively proud.

Please indicate your pledge on the enclosed card and place it in the envelope provided; we will gladly collect it from you when you enter the synagogue on the eve of Kol Nidre. You may also make your contribution online at mysinai.org. Simply click on Donate in the upper right corner of the home page and follow the link to Kol Nidre.

May you be sealed in the Book of Life for a good year.

If You Will Be Away for the High Holy Days

If you plan to attend services at a congregation that asks for reciprocity, Temple Sinai can send a request for any member in good standing.

Contact Betty Brandel at 516.621.6800 or bbrandel@mysinai.org.

SUKKAHFEST

Sunday, October 1 • 4:00pm fun for all ages!

food • music • games • & more

Family Service & Religious School Consecration

Friday, October 6 • 6:30pm

All new Religious School students will receive a special blessing from the Clergy

Join us for a congregational dinner immediately following the service (check your email for more details)

for the kids

Temple Sinai is excited to celebrate the High Holy Days with our youngest members! We invite families to bring their children to our Family and/or Tot Services and introduce them to our rich tradition of worship.

family services

in the Multi-Purpose Room designed for kids in grades K-4!

An enthusiastic and upbeat way to celebrate the High Holy Days as a family!

Rosh Hashanah

Saturday, September 16 at 9:30am

Yom Kippur

Monday, September 25 at 9:30am

tot services

created especially for our ECC-aged children, up to age five!

Rosh Hashanah

Saturday, September 16 at 9:00am

Yom Kippur

Monday, September 25 at 9:00am

childcare

in the ECC for infants through pre-k

Rosh Hashanah Saturday, September 16 from 9:45am-12:00pm Yom Kippur

Monday, September 25 from 9:45am-12:00pm & 2:45-6:00pm

To register for ANY of these programs, please use this QR code or sign up at mysinai.org/kids2023.

youth

holy days! Join us for a

kind, hands-on experience for kids in grades K-6!

Rosh Hashanah Saturday, September 16 from 9:45am-12:00pm Yom Kippur Monday, September 25 from 9:45am-12:00pm

PLEASE NOTE: To maintain the sanctity of the Days of Awe and the safety of our youngest members, we do not allow children to travel the hallways unsupervised during services. Parents are welcome to accompany their children to the youth program and sign them in at any time during services. We appreciate your cooperation and wish you a meaningful worship experience.

Shanah Tovah!

high holy days hunger project

Donate on Yom Kippur - Monday, September 25 from 8:30am-3:00pm

We encourage you to help those in need in our area by donating non-perishables like these suggested items:

pasta peanut butter

evaporated milk toothpaste

beans jelly baby formula mouthwash

rice tuna diapers soap

Please remember NO GLASS CONTAINERS

Holiday Farms has graciously provided us with a 10% off coupon to purchase non-perishable food for this drive. Use the coupon from September 11 through September 25, 2023, in-store only.

.

Do a mitzvah on Yom Kippur and help our Social Action Committee organize the food donations! To volunteer, email rabbischachter@mysinai.org.

LARGE PRINT PRAYER BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. PLEASE ASK OUR USHERS.

HIGH HOLY DAYS PARKING REGULATIONS

In order to ensure the safety of all, kindly park only in designated spaces. Please follow the directions of our security agents, custodians, and ushers. During the High Holy Days parking is permitted on Roslyn Road. Please call the temple office at 516.621.6800 if you need an accessible parking pass or need to drop someone off.

APPROPRIATE ATTIRE

In keeping with the spirit of the Days of Awe, please wear proper, modest attire. Excessively short or tight skirts or dresses, backless dresses (without a jacket), shorts, jeans, and flip flops are not

prayer books

Those of you who choose to worship at home rather than in the sanctuary have three options when it comes to obtaining prayer books:

• Purchase your own physical copies of the High Holy Day prayer books, Mishkan HaNefesh. This is the two volume set (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) we use each year in the sanctuary. To purchase, please visit www.ccarpress.org.

• Purchase a digital version of the High Holy Day prayer books for your Kindle from amazon.com.

• If you would prefer to borrow prayer books from Temple Sinai free of charge, simply complete the form on our website: www.mysinai.org/prayerbook2023. Pick-up times can be found on the website.