L’Shanah Tovah – Wishing You a Good Year!
Our High Holiday offerings are open to all – anyone and everyone is invited to join us!
As always, all of our High Holiday offerings are free. (To our friends, guests, and other non-members: a donation from the heart would be greatly appreciated.)
To help us plan for seating, refreshments, and other considerations, REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED for all services (except S’lichot) prior to attending. Please register as early as possible, and at least a day or two before the first service or event that you wish to attend.
After you register, you’re done! Your name will be on a list at the door; simply bring a form of ID. You do not need to register more than once.
Our High Holiday Covid Policy: We value the health and safety of all who worship, celebrate, and learn with us. We want to take care of each other and are particularly conscious of protecting the most vulnerable among us. For that reason, for each of our High Holiday services and events, we will have a special seating area with widely spaced chairs where mask wearing will be mandatory. For the rest of our seating area, we are following the Covid risk as reported by the U.S. Covid Tracker on the CovidActNow website for Monroe County:
—When the risk of Covid is low, masking at Temple Emanu-El is optional.
—When the risk of Covid is medium, masking at Temple Emanu-El is required. We urge attendees to use N95 or KN95 masks. Masks will be available for those who need one.
—When the risk of Covid is high, we will meet via Zoom only.
Determine the Current Covid Risk
For those who would be more comfortable attending from home, phone and Zoom options will be provided for most of our services and events, except where noted below. To login by phone, call 1-929-205-6099 and use meeting ID 868 3046 2999. To login by Zoom, click on the button:
If you call or Zoom in to the services, you’ll need copies of the Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur prayer books, each entitled, Mishkan HaNefesh. Temple Emanu-El members may check out High Holiday prayer books from us for the duration of the holidays by contacting our office before Sept 27 (emanuelrochester@gmail.com, 585-461-2000 ext 203). Both print and Kindle editions of the prayerbooks are available for purchase online.
We are fortunate to have access to an app that aids communication. TigerChat is a phone app that’s been developed by the Center on Access Technology at RIT. The app allows you to converse with or listen to another person or group using automatic speech recognition (ASR) technology that converts spoken words into typed text. You can read our services as they happen! The app was designed to work on the RIT campus, and RIT has extended it so that it now also works in the JCC.
More Information about TigerChat
This year we will again run our High Holidays Food and Clothing Drive by handing out empty bags on Rosh HaShanah and asking you to return them filled on Yom Kippur. We will bring them to Brighton Food Cupboard at Jewish Family Services. Representatives there told us that their greatest needs are canned and boxed food, personal hygiene products, diapers, and NEW and PACKAGED socks, winter gloves, and hats. (Please do not bring used or unpackaged items.)
More Information about Our Food and Clothing Drive
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our office at 585-461-2000, ext 203 or emanuelrochester@gmail.com.
For last minute announcements or changes throughout the High Holidays, click on the Updates button that follows:
Our High Holidays schedule is described below. A downloadable pdf version of our schedule will be accessible here:
High Holidays Printable Schedule Coming Soon
Hope for the Holidays – Elul course led by Rabbi Drorah Setel
This course will be held twice:
Wednesday evenings: Sept 4, 18, and 25 at 7pm in the Temple Emanu-El Library at the JCC
Thursday mornings: Sept 5, 19, and 26 at 11am in the Erdle Lounge at the JCC
This past year has been one of great uncertainty for the American Jewish community. The rise of antisemitism, the war in Gaza, and the threat of autocracy have led many of us to question our previous assumptions about our security, our belief in progress, and even our Jewish identity. This series is intended to give participants an opportunity to express their concerns about these issues, while offering wisdom from the Jewish tradition about how we address them, so that we might enter the High Holidays with a greater sense of clarity and hope. Classes are free to TEE members; we request a freewill donation from non-members.
Registration for either session of Hope for the Holidays is required.
Register here for the Wednesday evening sessions.
Register here for the Thursday morning sessions.
Selichot Service
Sat, Sept 28, 7pm in the Erdle Lounge by the cafe at the JCC (Enter the building through the portico doors that face Edgewood Avenue; park in the Wolk parking lot) Our service will be led by Rabbi Drorah Setel accompanied by Rabbi Sandra Katz and soloist Charlene Sommers.
As we enter the Days of Awe, the observance of Selichot gives us an opportunity to make our final preparations for the holidays. The evening will begin with Havdalah in the Memorial Courtyard (weather permitting). We will continue with poetry, readings, music, and the dressing of our Torah scrolls in their High Holiday white mantles. Please join us for this centering and inspirational observance. Phone and Zoom options will not be available for this service.
Erev Rosh HaShanah Service
Wed, Oct 2, 8pm in the Erdle Lounge by the cafe at the JCC (Enter the building through the portico doors that face Edgewood Avenue; park in the Wolk parking lot)
Rabbi Drorah Setel will lead our service, Charlene Sommers will be our cantorial soloist, and Bob Dietch will be our keyboardist. The service will be followed by an oneg. The phone and Zoom options will be available for this service.
Rosh HaShanah Morning Service
Thurs, Oct 3, 10am in the Erdle Lounge by the cafe at the JCC (Enter the building through the portico doors that face Edgewood Avenue; park in the Wolk parking lot)
Rabbi Drorah Setel will lead our service, Charlene Sommers will be our cantorial soloist, and Bob Dietch will be our keyboardist. The phone and Zoom options will be available for this service.
Tashlich
Thurs, Oct 3, 12:15pm at the Erie Canal beside the JCC
We will meet at the entrance to the canal from the Wolk Children’s Center parking lot area near Edgewood Avenue. Rabbi Drorah Setel will lead our Tashlich service. The phone and Zoom options will not be available for this service.
Shabbat Shuvah Service
Fri, Oct 4, 7pm in the Erdle Lounge by the cafe at the JCC (Enter the building through the portico doors that face Edgewood Avenue; park in the Wolk parking lot)
Our service will be led by Xander Karsten, Leslie Schwartz, Rabbi Sandra Katz, and Charlene Sommers. The service will be followed by an oneg. The phone and Zoom options will not be available for this service.
Erev Yom Kippur Kol Nidre Service
Friday, Oct 11, 8pm in the Erdle Lounge by the cafe at the JCC (Enter the building through the portico doors that face Edgewood Avenue; park in the Wolk parking lot)
Rabbi Drorah Setel will lead our service, Charlene Sommers will be our cantorial soloist and Bob Dietch will be our keyboardist. The phone and Zoom options will be available for this service.
Yom Kippur Morning Service
Saturday, Oct 12, 10am in the Erdle Lounge by the cafe at the JCC (Enter the building through the portico doors that face Edgewood Avenue; park in the Wolk parking lot)
Rabbi Drorah Setel will lead our service, Charlene Sommers will be our cantorial soloist, and Bob Dietch will be our keyboardist. The phone and Zoom options will be available for this service.
Yom Kippur Afternoon Program
Saturday, Oct 12, 3pm in the Erdle Lounge by the cafe at the JCC (Enter the building through the portico doors that face Edgewood Avenue; park in the Wolk parking lot)
Rabbi Drorah Setel will lead us in discussion – more details coming soon. The phone and Zoom options will not be available for this program.
Yizkor Service
Saturday, Oct 12, 4:30pm in the Erdle Lounge by the cafe at the JCC (Enter the building through the portico doors that face Edgewood Avenue; park in the Wolk parking lot)
Rabbi Drorah Setel will lead our service, Charlene Sommers will be our cantorial soloist, and Bob Dietch will be our keyboardist. The phone and Zoom options will not be available for this service.
Our Yom Kippur Yizkor Booklet Coming Soon
Yom Kippur Closing Service
Saturday, Oct 12, 5:15pm in the Erdle Lounge by the cafe at the JCC (Enter the building through the portico doors that face Edgewood Avenue; park in the Wolk parking lot)
Rabbi Drorah Setel will lead our service, Charlene Sommers will be our cantorial soloist, and Bob Dietch will be our keyboardist. The phone and Zoom options will be available for this service.
Break-the-Fast
Saturday, Oct 12, 6pm in the Erdle Lounge by the cafe at the JCC (Enter the building through the portico doors that face Edgewood Avenue; park in the Wolk parking lot)
We will have an opportunity to chat and mingle while enjoying a light meal together.