S’lichot begins the journey toward the unique beauty of High Holy Days, to focus our minds on penitence and preparation.
S’lichot begins the journey toward the unique beauty of High Holy Days, to focus our minds on penitence and preparation.
The Jewish new year ushers in a spiritual awakening to possibility and potential. A variety of services are available.
Monday, September 6
Tuesday, September 7
Friday, September 10, 6:00 p.m.
Hear a message of inspiration to deepen your spiritual and moral explorations on this very special Shabbat between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.
Click here to watch.
Sunday, September 12
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Location: 6001 Fannin St.
To complement our High Holy Day Children’s Services, which this year will be on streaming video, families with children in 2nd grade or younger are invited to join Emanu El clergy and staff for an in-person outdoor experience featuring a PJ Library Story Walk™. We will be gathering in the Fannin Pavilion at Hermann Park for this very special event. Arrive at your convenience to enjoy a guided walk with activities, an apples and honey snack, and more! This program is free of charge and open to the community; however, space is limited and advance registration is required.
**This event has reached capacity, and registration is now closed.
Sunday, September 12
5:00 p.m.
Location: 8431 Bissonnet St.
We invite all to join together in the beautiful, serene surroundings of Emanu El Memorial Park to remember their dear ones during the High Holy Day season.
[Memorial Sermon by Rabbi Oren Hayon]
These services, on the holiest night of the year, will feature the contemplative prayers and stirring music unique to this holiday. They will be accompanied by Ann Frohbieter on organ and our professional choir and include the poignant setting of Kol Nidre played by Brinton Smith, Principal Cellist of the Houston Symphony.
[Sermon by Rabbi Oren Hayon]
Wednesday, September 15
Thursday, September 16
In alignment with our reopening policy, we are asking attendees at all services and events to be vaccinated. Masking will be required for all worshippers regardless of vaccination status.
For more information, please view our Road to Recovery page.
High Holy Day passes have been sent by mail to members in good standing. If you did not receive yours, please call the synagogue at 713.529.5771.
A notice was sent to the congregation in mid-July surrounding our guest pass policy. A truncated version of this notice can be found below.
We respect that circumstances in our community may require us to operate with a reduced capacity of attendees. As always, members in good standing are our priority and therefore will have the greatest access and ability to attend in-person worship. With the goal of maximizing space for our members and our Emanu El family, the temple Board recently approved a guest pass policy allowing those with the following non-member status to attend this year’s High Holy Day services at Emanu El in person:
In keeping with our philosophy of “members first,” we are unable to provide guest passes to the following groups for in-person worship:
With that, we welcome and encourage everyone to view our services, through our multiple livestreaming platforms.
Are you heading out of town for the High Holy Days? If you are planning to worship at a congregation near your travel destination, you are eligible for reciprocity. A form to request reciprocity is available by clicking here. Please fill this form out to the best of your ability to help not only your Emanu El team but those at your destination synagogue. Please note that some synagogues may be restricting reciprocity this year or have made plans to only present their worship online due to COVID restrictions.
All parking for on-site services this year will take place at Emanu El, and guests utilizing our Gaylor Parking Facility are asked to come in through Entry 1 (closest to Hermann Park/Main Street). Parking on the first floor of the Gaylor Parking Facility will be reserved for handicap- accessible use only. These spaces will be released 15 minutes prior to the start of services.
The West Lot will be reserved for Rabbi’s Circle members with appropriate pass. These guests are asked to enter through Entry 2 (closest to Mandell Street / Rice Village) and enter through a special Rotunda entry point.
Please note that the Sunset Drive entrance of the synagogue will be closed this year.
For Tashlich, please enter the ERJCC parking lot through gate 1 on Atwell. Due to construction at the ERJCC, you will need to walk out this gate and north towards Braeswood where a member of our off-duty police team will help you to the bayou.
For the Cemetery Service, please enter through the main entrance at the cemetery. To help our officers, we ask those with a handicap placard to please display it as you enter the property.
For wheelchair or disability accessibility, please contact Tiffany Siegel at 713.529.5771, ext. 262 or tiffanys@emanuelhouston.org.
The only reserved seats during the High Holy Days are for those that request this access ahead of time. When contacting Tiffany, please include the services you plan to attend. Those requesting accessible seating may be granted a maximum of four additional seats for family members. Please note this seating will be released 15 minutes prior to the beginning of services.
The deadline for Rosh HaShanah is Wednesday, September 1 and Yom Kippur is Friday, September 10.
Emanu El is subsidizing Uber by $5 per trip on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. These vouchers are valid for up to two hours prior and two hours following our services, and users must have one end of the route (pick-up or drop-off) located within .25 miles of the synagogue in order to be eligible.
Uber or ride-share service pick-up and drop-off must occur at the north entry to the Barish Sanctuary, as the Sunset Drive entrance will not be accessible. Please note that there will be separate Uber vouchers for the two days of Rosh HaShanah and the two days of Yom Kippur.
As we join together in sacred community from our homes, there are a variety of ways to follow along in Mishkan HaNefesh, the machzor, or High Holy Day prayer book of the Reform Movement. We will be sharing the words of our prayer book on your screen during services, and you can follow along with these resources available to you at CCAR’s website.
For those attending services virtually, scroll down to “Virtual Services” to follow along in the prayer books.
Print Book
The two-volume, hard-cover set is available, with a generous discount at CCAR Press. Use the code MHN20. Remember to leave adequate time for processing and shipping.
Brotherhood provides closed captioning for our High Holy Day worshipers who are hearing impaired. The Brotherhood provides this service at all on-site Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur services except for the children’s services. For those watching remotely, scroll down to “Virtual Services” to access the link for captioning during Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur services.
The Barish Sanctuary is equipped with an Induction Loop System which transmits audio signals directly to one’s telecoil (T-coil)-equipped hearing aid.
Congregation Emanu El’s longstanding commitment to fighting hunger is made possible by contributions to the Edward Wayne Hunger Fund.
Donations to the Hunger Fund support emergency food needs in the Houston area, our partners in the community helping to fight hunger, and our ongoing projects with SEARCH Homeless Services and Kids’ Meals.
In addition to returning your envelope to the synagogue, you may make donations online to the Edward Wayne Hunger Fund at emanuelhouston.org/giving.
There are a variety of options to access the streaming video of each of our special and beautiful services.
For a second straight year, Emanu El engaged with Houston Media Source (HMS) to broadcast its primary worship opportunities during the holy days on public access television.
HMS broadcasts on channel 17 on Comcast/Xfinity – the primary cable provider in Houston proper. The broadcasts are also available on AT&T U-Verse, Sudden Link and Phonoscope on channel 99. Please note that some high-rises and multi-unit dwellings may not be included in this availability due to various restrictions.
Broadcast Schedule
Free Digital Flipbook
For assistance using flipbooks, click here.
Downloadable e-book
For those watching remotely, we intend to use the StreamText platform for a second straight year.
Click here to access captioning for Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur services.
Our goal is to make your experience as easy as possible in connecting with us during these High Holy Days. Members of the synagogue staff will be available during weekday business hours in addition to during our High Holy Day worship services to provide assistance to our congregants.
Please call 713.529.5771 for support.