High Holy Days Participation 2022

REOPEN! RETURN! RE-ENGAGE! 

Beginning on Rosh Chodesh Elul (August 28) the blasts of the shofar will herald the new year and call us to the task of looking inward as we prepare to do teshuvah – to repent, to return, to make positive change. Our services during these Days of Awe (Yamim Nora’im) gather the entire community together to engage with this important spiritual work. In this message we inform you, as much as we currently can, of how our observances of the Days of Awe will unfold this year, and invite your participation in sacred service during this year’s High Holy Days. 

In Person Services: With still due consideration for the preservation of life and health, we look forward this year to celebrating the Yamim Nora’im (including Rosh Hashanah day 1 morning, Erev Yom Kippur, and Yom Kippur morning) together in person! We will expect congregants to be fully vaccinated, and masked indoors except when leading part of the service from the bimah. For those who are unable to join in person or who are cautious about gathering in public spaces, we expect that our services will be livestreamed.

Machzors for People Not Attending in Person: Last year we invited you to come to BI to pick up a Machzor (High Holy Days prayerbook). This year, however, with remote participation likely being less common, most congregants will pick up a Machzor when they arrive for services in person. If you will be viewing services by Zoom, however, and would like to have a Machzor to follow along, please contact Larry Hamermesh or Miriam Sigler about picking up a Machzor at other times or letting us know where we can have one delivered to you.

Participation: Please review the list below and email Laura Lee Blechner as soon as possible (by Sunday August 28 at the latest), which forms of Avodah (sacred service) you feel most called to engage in this year. Check up to three items. We will do our best to accommodate expressed preferences, although we can’t guarantee that all preferences will be implemented. 

___ Shofar blowing 

___ English readings  

___ Hebrew prayer leadership 

___ Managing traffic and parking around in person services 

___ Tech help (audio/visual set up, Zoom management, etc.) 

We hope that participation in these events will be shared among the congregation as broadly as possible, so don’t be shy about volunteering!

Yizkor Book: Names included in last year’s Yizkor book will automatically be included and billed to your account as a donation to BI in their memory. For more information or to update your listing, be on the lookout for further emails or contact Alison Manaker.

For up-to-date information about this year’s High Holy Days, including the schedule, look for further emails. Questions and concerns can be addressed to Laura Lee Blechner and Larry Hamermesh, and let us know if you know of any non-members who are interested in joining our services this year.

Thanks, and we look forward to seeing all of you very soon! L’shalom, 

Larry Hamermesh
Chair, Religious Practices Committee 

Laura Lee Blechner, RPC Vice-Chair of High Holy Days