High Holy Day Worship

Elul, the Hebrew month that precedes the High Holy Days, is traditionally a time of preparation and introspection. Join us during our Gems of Torah Study class for four weeks of learning focused on the practice of Mussar, the traditional practice of moral and spiritual exploration. Together, we will be studying selections from The Mussar Torah Commentary: A Spiritual Path to Living a Meaningful and Ethical Life which was recently published by the CCAR Press.

These thoughtful sessions will be held on Zoom, led by members of the clergy and our Director of Lifelong Learning. We will explore traditional and modern texts and commentaries that will help us prepare our spirits and enrich our experience of the Days of Awe.

Click here to register for these learning opportunities.

Saturday, September 28, 9:00 p.m. 

Selichot 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 Barish Sanctuary.

The Jewish new year ushers in a spiritual awakening to possibility and potential. A variety of services are available.

Wednesday, October 2

• High Holy Day Kick-Off Reception, 5:00 p.m.
  Gather with friends and loved ones before services to celebrate the New Year together over refreshments and hors d’oeuvres.
• Rosh HaShanah Unplugged, 6:00 p.m.
  This innovative service features a joyful, creative, contemporary prayer experience, suitable for all ages, with unique musical additions to encourage singing and participation.

Thursday, October 3

• Children’s Service, 9:00 a.m. 
  Designed for children 8 and under and their families, this lively and fun service highlights the themes and rituals of the holiday.
• Rosh HaShanah Morning Family Reception, immediately following our Children’s Service
  Join us for a sweet treat and chance to greet friends at the family reception immediate following the Rosh HaShanah children’s service.
• Morning Service, 10:30 a.m.
  This intergenerational service combines familiar music and prayers with beautiful liturgical writing and stirring poetry, along with full translation and transliteration of Hebrew texts. You’ll also experience an inspiring and engaging collection of music led by Cantor Simmons, with accompaniment on organ and piano.
  • 3rd through 5th grade students are invited to pray with their parents for the first half of the service, then they will be led by our Helfman Religious School staff into their own separate High Holy Day celebration with fun and engaging activities. Pre-registration required. Click here to register.
    

Thursday, October 3, immediately following our 10:30 a.m. Rosh HaShanah morning service

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.

This year we are pleased to invite Steven J. Frank, MD to share some personal reflections. Dr. Frank is an endowed tenured professor of Radiation Oncology and holds the Bessie McGoldrick Professorship in Clinical Research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

He and his family are deeply devoted to Jewish life and Jewish learning. He will reflect on the Jewish values that have motivated him during his time in the military, and through his work as a highly respected cancer researcher.

Sunday, October 6, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Nature Discovery Center, 7112 Newcastle

To complement our High Holy Day 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 Day 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

• Kol Nidre Service, 7:30 p.m., Barish Sanctuary (in person with streaming options)
  Sermon by Rabbi Hayon
  This service, 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.
  

Saturday, October 12

• Children’s Service, 9:00 a.m., Barish Sanctuary (in person with streaming options)
  Led by our clergy
  Designed for children 8 and under and their families, this service offers engaging music, prayers, and stories that will encourage families to reflect on how we can be our best selves.
• Morning Service, 10:30 a.m., Barish Sanctuary (in person with streaming options)
  Sermon by Rabbi Silk
  This service will be led by our clergy, accompanied by Ann Frohbeiter on organ and our professional choir. Through stirring music and meaningful prayer, we will reflect on the themes of repentance and forgiveness.
  • 3rd through 5th grade students are invited to pray with their parents for the first half of the service, then they will be led to a unique, age-appropriate Torah experience facilitated by our teen leaders and Helfman staff. Pre-registration required. Click here to register.
• Afternoon Experience
  Enhance your Yom Kippur experience with afternoon options (more information & registration coming soon)
• Healing & Wholeness, 3:45 p.m., Barish Sanctuary (in person with streaming options)
  Find restoration and strength through poetry, song and prayer.
• October 7 Memorial Service, 4:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (more information coming soon)
• Yizkor & N’ilah, 5:00 p.m., Barish Sanctuary (in person with streaming options)
  Through meaningful readings and soul-stirring music, we will journey through varied expressions of grief and memory.
• Break the Fast, 6:45 p.m., Oshman Multi-Purpose Room
  We will bring our holidays to a close by breaking the fast together.

The Book of Memory is shared at our Yom Kippur Yizkor service. Within it, we inscribe the names of our loved ones. It serves as an acknowledgment that those who came before us, taught us, loved us, and inspired us have not been forgotten.

The Book of Memory will be distributed on Yom Kippur afternoon. Additional copies will be available at the synagogue following the High Holy Days. We suggest a minimum of $15 per name.

Due to our mailing and printing deadlines, all information and donations must be received by the office by Thursday, August 15. Information received after the deadline will be printed in the Bulletin. We regret that we cannot take Book of Memory information over the phone.

Click here to submit your dedication for the Book of Memory online.

Emanu El is excited to announce that we will be using digital passes for High Holy Day services this year. We will email each adult member of your household a digital pass which may be used for all holidays and services. You must be a member in good standing to receive High Holy Day passes. You will receive an email from orders@simpletix.com which will be sent to the email address on file in your ShulCloud account in early September. 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 will be 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 fredi Bleeker Franks at 713.529.5771, ext. 221 or fredif@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.

If you have questions, please contact Anna Shabtay at annas@emanuelhouston.org or 713.529.5771, ext. 261.

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.

For Erev Rosh HaShanah, Rosh HaShanah Day and Kol Nidre, park at the Medical Clinic of Houston at 1707 Sunset Blvd. The parking garage entrance is located on Rice Blvd.

For those attending our Tashlich service, parking is available at Bill Coats Bridge. NEW this year – there will be a bus available for those who wish to attend but not park at the bridge.

• Click here for Bill Coates Bridge location and parking information.

For Yom Kippur Day, parking will be available at Rice University. Rice U is located at 6100 Main St, and available parking is in the South Stadium Lot & Greenbriar Lot.

• Click here for a map of Rice University parking on Yom Kippur Day.

Emanu El is subsidizing Uber by $5 on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur for worshipers who live within 25 miles of the synagogue.

More information about this voucher will become available soon.

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.

Registration for childcare will become available soon. 

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 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.

To ensure those who are hard of hearing can enjoy and participate in our beautiful High Holy Day 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 Day 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.

• Emanu El Streaming Video
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Roku (Congregation Emanu El Houston)

Services on TV:
Our primary worship opportunities will be available on public access television through Houston Media Source. HMS broadcasts on channel 17 on Comcast/Xfinity, and 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:

• Rosh HaShanah, Unplugged: Friday, September 15, 6:00 p.m.
• Rosh HaShanah Morning: Saturday, September 16, 10:30 a.m.
• Kol Nidre Evening Service: Sunday, September 24, 7:30 p.m.
• Yom Kippur Morning Service: Monday, September 25, 10:30 a.m.

If you or a loved one are in need of an ASL interpreter, please contact Heidi Suprun at heidis@emanuelhouston.org or 713.529.5771, ext. 201 by Thursday, August 15.

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.