Saturday, September 28
Service 9:00 p.m.
Selichot begins the journey toward the unique beauty of High Holy Days to focus our minds on penitence and preparation. Our beautiful service will begin at 9:00 p.m. in the Proler Chapel.
Saturday, September 28
Service 9:00 p.m.
Selichot begins the journey toward the unique beauty of High Holy Days to focus our minds on penitence and preparation. Our beautiful service will begin at 9:00 p.m. in the Proler Chapel.
The Jewish new year ushers in a spiritual awakening to possibility and potential. A variety of services are available.
Wednesday, October 2
Thursday, October 3
Thursday, October 3, immediately following our 10:30 a.m. Rosh HaShanah morning service
On Rosh HaShanah, we begin the process of repentance by visiting a moving body of water to symbolically cast off our sins in a short service called Tashlich. After Rosh HaShanah morning services conclude, we will gather with our clergy at the Bill Coats Bridge over Brays Bayou for a short service of music and reflection. We encourage you to ride the shuttle available at Emanu El to Bill Coats Bridge, where parking is limited. Shuttles to the bridge will load outside of the Sunset doors and will bring you back to the Rice Parking lot or Emanu El after Tashlich, depending on where you parked.
We will ensure our new year gets off to a sweet start by celebrating Tash-LICK – the addition of an ice cream truck!
Friday, October 4, 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. Our guest speaker will be congregant Bobbi Samuels. Click here to read about Bobbi Samuels.
Sunday, October 6, 9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Nature Discovery Center, 7112 Newcastle
To complement our High Holy Days Children’s Services, families with children in 2nd grade or younger are invited to join Emanu El clergy and staff for an in-person outdoor experience featuring PJ Library Story Walk™.
We will be gathering at the Nature Discovery Center in Bellaire 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.
Click here to register.
Sunday, October 6, 5:00 p.m.
Emanu El Memorial Park, 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 Days season.
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.
Friday, October 11
Saturday, October 12
Emanu El is excited to announce that we will be using digital passes for High Holy Days services this year. On Monday, September 9, all adult members in good standing were emailed a digital pass which may be used for all holidays and services. This email came from orders@simpletix.com. You can print your pass at home or simply save it on your phone to be scanned when you arrive at the building for services. Passes will be scanned before you can enter the building. Your name is on your pass, and passes are NOT transferrable.
We accept passes from other congregations and also welcome military personnel, college students with ID, and out-of-town hospital patients along with their families. Additionally, we offer reciprocity passes to members in good standing at other congregations (more info below).
We also welcome members of the community who have moved to Houston since last High Holy Days. Please ask them to contact Anna Shabtay at 713.529.5771, ext. 261 or annas@emanuelhouston.org to arrange for newcomer passes.
As always, finances are never a barrier to membership at Emanu El, and guest pass options are also available for non-members. If you would like more information about these options, contact Anna Shabtay at 713.529.5771, ext. 261 or annas@emanuehouston.org.
Will you be out of town for Rosh HaShanah and/or Yom Kippur? If you are planning to worship at a congregation near your travel destination, you may be eligible for reciprocity. Through our affiliation with the Union for Reform Judaism, our congregation enjoys reciprocity with hundreds of Reform synagogues nationally. The form to request reciprocity is available by clicking here. Please fill out the form to the best of your ability to help not only your Emanu El team but those at your destination synagogue.
Please remember to bring your cell phones or your printed digital passes! Only individuals with High Holy Days passes will be permitted entry to the Emanu El campus. Parking on Floors 1 and 2 of the Gaylor Parking Facility will be reserved for handicap-accessible use. Because there is limited garage parking, we encourage you to park offsite. Buses will run continually between satellite parking and Emanu El.
Parking for Erev Rosh HaShanah will be at the Medical Clinic at 1701 Sunset Blvd. The parking garage entrance is located on Rice Blvd.
For Rosh HaShanah morning, parking is at Rice University. Rice University is located at 6100 Main St, and available parking is in the South Stadium Lot & Greenbriar Lot.
For those attending our Tashlich service, we encourage you to ride the shuttle bus to the Bill Coats Bridge, where parking is limited. Shuttles to the bridge will load outside of the Sunset doors and will drop you off at the Rice Parking lot after Tashlich.
For Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur Day, parking will be at the Medical Clinic at 1701 Sunset Blvd. The parking garage entrance is located on Rice Blvd.
Emanu El is subsidizing Uber by $5 on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur for worshipers who live within 25 miles of the synagogue.
Click the link below or scan the QR code to access the voucher and enter the promo code.
Click here for the link.
Enter the promo code: rEXkSK1rcxU
Childcare for children ages 15 months to 8 years is available during both Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur morning services. Registration in advance MUST be received in order to prepare for the appropriate number of caregivers. The cost is $10 per child, per service. A light snack will be provided; however, children with allergies are encouraged to bring their own snacks.
The deadline to register for childcare is Friday, September 27.
Click here to register for childcare.
For wheelchair or disability accessibility, please contact Christian Simmons at 713.529.5771, ext. 262 or christians@emanuelhouston.org.
The only reserved seats during the High Holy Days are for those that request this access ahead of time. When contacting Christian, 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 to request accessibility seating is for Rosh HaShanah is Tuesday, September 24.
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 Days 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.
To ensure those who are hard of hearing can enjoy and participate in our beautiful High Holy Days services, we will be providing closed captioning for all Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur services in the Barish Sanctuary 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 this year by contributions to the High Holy Days Hunger Fund Appeal for the benefit of the Edward Wayne Hunger Fund. Donations to the appeal will 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.
Click here to make your contribution to the Hunger Fund online. You may also give by check payable to Congregation Emanu El (memo: High Holy Day Hunger Fund)
We kindly ask that no dedications be made for this appeal.
There are a variety of options to access the streaming video of each of our special and beautiful services.
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.