HIGH HOLY DAYS
High Holy Days 5771: Schedule of Services
S’lichot: Saturday, September 4, 2010 (at Congregation Shir Hadash)
| 7:30 pm | Program—God in the Box |
| 9:30 pm | Oneg |
| 10:00 pm | S’lichot Service |
Erev Rosh HaShanah: Wednesday, September 8 (at Sacred Heart Church)
| 8:00 pm | Rosh HaShanah Evening Service ‡ |
Rosh HaShanah: Thursday, September 9 (at Sacred Heart Church)
| 9:30 am | Religious School Program (at Shir Hadash) |
| 10:00 am | Rosh HaShanah Morning Service ‡ |
| 10:15 am | Teen Discussion Program |
| 3:30 pm | Rosh HaShanah Family Service (at Shir Hadash) |
Erev Shabbat Shuvah: Friday, September 10 (at Shir Hadash)
| 8:00 pm | Shabbat Shuvah Service |
Shabbat Shuvah: Saturday, September 11 (at Vasona Park, Los Gatos)
| 10:30 am | Morning Service, followed by Tashlich (at Vasona Lake, Circle group area) |
Erev Yom Kippur: Friday, September 17 (at Sacred Heart Church)
| 8:00 pm | Kol Nidre Service ‡ |
Yom Kippur: Saturday, September 18 (at Sacred Heart Church)
| 10:00 am | Religious School Program |
| 10:00 am | Yom Kippur Morning Service ‡ |
| 10:15 am | Teen Service |
| 1:30 pm | Adult Discussion Group: A New High Holy Day Prayer Book |
| 2:45 pm | Musical Interlude |
| 3:30 pm | Yom Kippur Afternoon Service ‡ |
| 3:30 pm | Yom Kippur Family Service (at Shir Hadash) |
| 5:30 pm* | Yizkor (Memorial Service) ‡ |
| 6:30 pm* | Concluding Service ‡ |
| 7:30 pm | Havdalah |
| 7:50 pm | Break-the-fast |
Erev Simchat Torah: Wednesday, September 29 (at Shir Hadash)
| 7:15 pm | Simchat Torah Celebration with the Joel Nelson Band |
Simchat Torah: Thursday, September 30 (at Shir Hadash)
| 6:00 pm | Simchat Torah Service and Yizkor |
* Times for the Yizkor and Concluding services are approximate.
‡ Babysitting is available for these services. Pre-registration is required. (more info)
Location of Services
The S’lichot program and service, the Rosh HaShanah family service, the Shabbat Shuvah evening service, the Yom Kippur family service, and the Simchat Torah services will be held at Congregation Shir Hadash, 20 Cherry Blossom Lane, Los Gatos.
The Shabbat Shuvah morning service will be held at Vasona Park.
On Rosh HaShanah, the Religious School program will be held at Shir Hadash.
All other programs and services will be held at the Sacred Heart Church of Saratoga, 13724 Saratoga Ave., Saratoga (map & directions).
S’lichot: “God in The Box”
Our S’lichot program will begin this year with a sneak peek at a work in progress, “God in the Box,” and discussion with its director, Nathan Lang, who was a young man in Rabbi Aron’s student pulpit in San Antonio Texas many years ago.
This documentary explores the mystery and controversy about what God means to us as Americans in the 21st century. With their main character (The Box) the crew travelled across the country inviting people to step inside and share what they believed. They were amazed at the honesty and intensity of the responses. The film also includes some reflections by scholars, archeologists, and religious leaders, both on the responses and on the question of how we can co-exist as an inter-religious community with our profound differences of understanding on this issue.
Discussing the film with Nathan Lang will be the Reverend Alan Jones (Methodist), Father Jon Pedigo (Catholic), and Maha Elgeneidi representing the Muslim Tradition.
Religious School Program
A High Holy Day Program for religious school students will be offered during the morning services on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. The program is for children in Kindergarten through 6th grade. Please bring a vegetarian sack lunch. Children should be nicely dressed for holiday services. There is no charge for this program, but your child must be registered to attend. Please fill out the Religious School Program registration form and return it by August 25.
On Rosh HaShanah, Thursday, September 9, the Religious School program will take place at Shir Hadash. However, on Yom Kippur, Saturday, September 18, the program will be at Sacred Heart Church.
Keeping your children out of school on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur can be an important part of their Jewish identity formation. It is also a sign of Jewish self-respect and solidarity. Please contact Rabbi Aron or Rabbi Levenberg if you would like to talk about this decision. Our local JCRC, under the direction of Diane Fisher, is available to help with any school issues.
Family Services
We encourage you to take your children to the excellent family services led by Rabbis Aron and Levenberg, Cantor Felder-Levy, and our new Early Childhood Center Director, Robin Adelman, on Rosh Hashanah, and by Rabbis Fleekop and Levenberg and our new Early Childhood Center Director, Robin Adelman, on Yom Kippur. Both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur family services will be held at 3:30 pm and will be at Congregation Shir Hadash. These services, geared to children ages 2–6 and their families, are free and open to the public, so please feel welcome to bring your friends.
Special Teen Programs
Special programs for teens, grades 7-12, will be held during the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur morning services. On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, students will begin their morning in the regular service which begins at 10:00 am. At about 10:15 am the students will be invited to leave the sanctuary. They will return to the sanctuary in time for the reading of the Torah, at approximately 11:15 am. On Rosh Hashanah there will be a discussion program and on Yom Kippur a special service with the Confirmation band and choir.
Shabbat Shuvah: The Sabbath of Return
The Sabbath of Repentance takes its name from the special Haftarah portion, “Turn Back O Israel,” which calls upon the Jewish people to turn away from wrongdoing and return to their ancient loyalty and devotion. At Congregation Shir Hadash we provide two very different services with which to connect at this special time.
On Friday evening September 10th, at 8pm, we will have a formal service in the sanctuary with the special High Holy melodies that are appropriate for this season. A panel of Temple members who have been involved with the Shir Hadash Organizing Committee this year will speak about the spiritual aspects of this experience. A special honeycake oneg will follow the service.
Saturday morning September 11th services will be held at Vasona Park in the Circle group area. With guitar and spirited singing we will celebrate Shabbat in the beauty of nature. After about 30 minutes of this informal service, the younger children will be invited on an exploration, while adult members of the congregation participate in a study of the special Prophetic portion for this Shabbat. The children will rejoin us for a story, the concluding songs of the service, and a walk to the water’s edge to “cast our sins into the depths.” Following the Tashlich (casting off) ceremony, we will all join together in a brunch under the shade canopies. Make your reservations with Nadine in the office, and receive your food assignment for the potluck. Bring beach chairs and blankets for more comfortable sitting.
Adult Discussion Group: “A New High Holy Day Prayer Book for the Reform Movement”
A highly esteemed national Committee is already at work on a new Machzor—a new prayer book for the High Holy Days. What a great time for us to take a step back and talk about what we find satisfying and frustrating in the prayer book we are currently using. What enhances our prayer experience? What distances us from worship? To what extent is the preserving of old tradition an important part of our holiday experience? Are there prayers that are so difficult in their theology that they prevent us from being able to pray?
Rabbi Aron will present briefly on the history of our current prayer book, The Gates of Repentance, and report on a preliminary meeting she attended in New York about the launch of the editing process. We will also discuss the Avinu Malkeinu, Unetaneh Tokef, and Kol Nidrei prayers that have historically brought forth the most Reform objections, and consider what new images or new resources we would like to see in this prayer book that is likely to be with us for at least a quarter of a century.
All are welcome to join Rabbi Aron in this conversation during the break between the Yom Kippur Morning and Afternoon services (approximately 1:30–2:30 pm).
Yom Kippur Afternoon: Musical Interlude
Music can create a special mood of reflection and introspection so appropriate to the Day of Atonement. This year, Rachel Keynton, cello, and Diane Fisher, piano, will provide us with a special musical contemplative program on Yom Kippur afternoon between the study program and afternoon service. They will be playing several short pieces for cello and piano by Ernest Bloch (including "From Jewish Life" and "Méditation Hébraïque"). Bloch was a Swiss-born American composer, writing in the earlier part of the 20th century, who was known particularly for works based on or inspired by Jewish liturgical and folk music.
Sukkot and Simchat Torah
The High Holiday season continues through Sukkot and Simchat Torah. Opportunities to eat in our congregational Succah include Shabbat dinner on Friday, September 24 open to all, Tot Shabbat on Saturday, September 25 at 9 am, GLBT members and friends on Monday, September 27 at 6 pm, and Teens on Tuesday, September 28 at 6:15 pm. There will also be Torah and Thai in the Succah on Wednesday, September 29 at 6 pm, preceding the Simchat Torah Service.
Simchat Torah will be celebrated with dancing and rejoicing Wednesday night, September 29, at 7:15 pm. Joel Nelson and his band will join us for our lively hakafot as we dance with our Torahs. Simchat Torah Yizkor services will be held at 6:00 pm on Thursday, September 30. New names inscribed in the memorial wall will be dedicated in a short ceremony following the service.
Ordering Tickets and Prayer Books
Adults 35 and under can take advantage of Shir Hadash’s New Song-Young Adult Membership and receive full membership in the synagogue, including High Holy Day tickets, for less than the cost of High Holy Day tickets alone!
Copies of Gates of Repentance are available for sale at the office, 20 Cherry Blossom Lane, Los Gatos, or you can order them from Amazon (see below). These gender-neutral editions follow the same pagination as the traditional prayer books. We would welcome the donation of your old prayer books for use as loaners. We encourage you to secure your own copy of the prayer book as we do not anticipate the availability of sufficient books for loan. Books paid in advance can be picked up at the temple office before the holiday or will be available at Sacred Heart during the hour before the beginning of the Rosh Hashanah evening service.
To order tickets or High Holy Day Prayer Books please call the office at 408-358-1751.
You can also order copies of Gates of Repentance through Amazon.com.
