Shanah Tovah!
The High Holy Days are right around the corner! We feel blessed to be able to celebrate and honor these Days of Awe with you, our kehillah.
Neveh Shalom is an open and egalitarian community. Our services are led by our clergy team Rabbi David Kosak, Rabbi Eve Posen, Rabbi Daniel Isaak, and Cantor Eyal Bitton, along with guest leader Natan Meir, and our lay leaders. We welcome all to experience the New Year with Neveh Shalom.
Do you have any questions about the High Holy Days? If you cannot find the information below, please feel free to reach out to hhd@nevehshalom.org, or call the office at 503.246.8831.
Please note that the closer it gets to the HHDs, the busier the office is. Thank you for your patience.
High Holy Days 5785 Registration and Tickets
Please note that tickets are needed for most of our High Holy Days services.
If you are a member, you will have received an HHD registration packet in the mail. If you did not receive it or are not a member, please click here or call the office at 503.246.8831.
Members, when you start your registration, please be sure to have your member portal login info ready. While it is possible to register without logging in, your experience and ours will be much better if you log in first. Registration is due by September 9. Tickets will be mailed around September 20.
If you need help with registering online, we have support available to you. Email hhd@nevehshalom.org with your request, including your phone number, and someone will be in touch, or call the CNS office at 503.246.8831. Russian-speaking support is also available.
Are You a CNS Member?
Prior to the High Holy Days is a common time for people to become members of our Neveh Shalom community, as High Holy Day tickets are included as one of the many benefits offered.
What is the process for joining Neveh Shalom?
It’s easy! Contact Michelle Caplan, Assistant Executive Director at mcaplan@nevehshalom.org or call at 503-293-7313. She will answer questions about Neveh Shalom and if you choose, show you around our facility, and introduce you to clergy, school directors, and the program director.
Service Schedule
Click here for a pdf of the updated schedule.
SELICHOT – Heart & Soul: A Rock and Traditional Selichot Experience
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
8:00pm: Wine & Cheese | 8:30pm: Service | Free
EREV ROSH HASHANAH
WENDESDAY, OCTOBER 2
- 9:00am Rabbi Kosak: Joy is a Blessing: Aligning Our Lives to a Higher Purpose
- 10:00am Mel Berwin: And you shall be a blessing
- 11:00am Rabbi Devin Villarreal: Creating through Conversation
KEVER AVOT GRAVESIDE SERVICE
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6
Ahavai Shalom 9:00-10:00am | Neveh Zedek 10:30-11:30am
EREV YOM KIPPUR
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11
6:00pm Kol Nidre Service: Rabbi Kosak & Cantor Bitton, Sanctuary
6:00pm Kol Nidre Service: Rabbi Posen & Natan Meir, Birnbach Hall
6:00pm Kol Nidre for Teens Program, Zidell Chapel
YOM KIPPUR
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12
*Yizkor: The services in each location are similar but have slightly different timing, and we cannot predict exact times for the Yizkor (Memorial) service. Yizkor is after the Torah service, and before Musaf on Yom Kippur.
Because of communal and spiritual needs, all times are approximate
Joining Us Online
Sanctuary & Birnbach services will be livestreamed. As with anything that is online, there is always a possibility of technical challenges. We will do our best to keep our livestream up and activated. And of course, we apologize in advance for any inconvenience.
Livestream:
Services with livestream have a link in the schedule below.
Regarding Inclusivity
Neveh Shalom is a caring, inclusive community. We are committed to creating an atmosphere in services that is welcoming to and that works for all our congregants, from the youngest to the oldest. On these Days of Awe, we acknowledge that we can’t be perfect, but we can be compassionate in meeting one another’s prayer needs.
In regards to children, we celebrate that God put the wriggle in children, and that their “mode of being” in worship is intrinsically more vocal and more physical than that of adults.
We also recognize that not all children are the same. Many disabilities don’t present physically, and it is our value to be as inclusive as possible. If a child is making noises or has other seemingly disruptive behavior, it may be their way of participating.
Family Services & Events
Children are welcome in EVERY service at Neveh Shalom. You are also invited to services specifically designed for children and families.
We have a full and exciting range of family services and programs this year. Through the direction and leadership of Rabbi Eve Posen, Morah Leah Conley, Morah Candace Rothstein, and Mel Berwin – along with our Kiddush Club/ALIYAH teachers Gershon Liberman and Sarah Rohr – our kids, teens, and parents will be engaged in age-appropriate ways that are open to everyone.
Parents are expected to stay and participate with children in Family Services. We welcome younger or older siblings at every family service, and we encourage you to attend the one that feels like the best fit for your family.
We are excited to provide the game room for children in grades 1-5 after family services on Rosh Hashanah Day 1 and Yom Kippur.
PLEASE NOTE: While we want our children to feel at home in the synagogue, for their safety and the security of our building, we request that parents be aware of and take responsibility for their child’s whereabouts at all times. Please share expectations with your children ahead of time: Foundation School hallways are off limits; running in the building is not allowed; disrespectful and disruptive behaviors are prohibited.
HHD Childcare (0-2nd Grade)
Rosh Hashanah Day 1 & Yom Kippur Day 10am-1pm
- For children ages 12 months through 2nd grade.
- The timing allows families to attend young family services together and have supervision for children during Rabbis’ sermons.
- Familiar Foundation School teachers and teen assistants will offer an educational, fun, and safe environment for children to experience the joy of the High Holy Days.
Kol Nidre -October 11, 5:45-9pm
- For children ages 12 months through 2nd grade who can handle late evening babysitting at the shul.
$36 per child per day. Space is limited. RSVP and payment must be made by Monday, September 9.
Please fill out the proper area in the HHD online registration form. A confirmation e-mail with room assignments, what to bring, etc. will be sent to you prior to the start of the High Holy Days. For more information contact Rabbi Eve: eposen@nevehshalom.org.
Special High Holy Days 5784 Activities
Hear the Shofar During the Month of Elul
Sunday-Friday Mornings, September 4-October 2 (Sun: 9am; M-F: 7:15am)
It’s traditional to attend Morning Minyan in preparation for the High Holy Days and to hear the shofar being blown. You’ll need to hear it in person for it to be a “kosher” hearing. Interested in blowing the shofar? Contact Priscilla: lamalo@comcast.net.
Heart & Soul: A Rock and Traditional Selichot Experience
Saturday, September 28, 8:00pm: Wine & Cheese | 8:30pm: Service | Free
Join us for a musical Selichot celebration. Combine the traditional with the contemporary as Rabbi Kosak and Cantor Bitton integrate traditional High Holy Day melodies with pop and rock music. Begin your High Holy Day preparation with music and meaning.
Back to Shul 2023
Sunday, September 10, 12:30-2:30pm | In-Person, Holzman Plaza
Welcome the New Year with a celebration of community! Join our Kehillah for music, food, and fun, a program fair to get more involved, and our ALIYAH meet and greet with teachers.
Please RSVP at nevehshalom.org/b2s23, we want to count you in.
High Holy Days Food Drive: Operation Isaiah
October 2-12
CNS is proud to once again hold our High Holiday food drive to support Neighborhood House. Please bring your donations of non-perishable foods to the collection bins located inside the front gate.
Collection will start at Rosh Hashanah and continue through Yom Kippur. This annual collection is in keeping with Isaiah’s Yom Kippur directive against empty piety: Don’t merely fast, feed the hungry; clothe the naked!
Teen Rosh Hashanah Experience
Thursday, October 3, 12:00-1:00pm, Zidell Chapel
Together, Neveh teens (7th-12th grades) will mark the Jewish New Year with an upbeat and meaningful gathering on RH including games, meditation, and a creative process to take hold of the gift our ancestors offered: the challenge to cultivate peace in our lives and our community. Led by Youth Engagement Specialist Sarah Rohr.
NEW THIS YEAR! AMEN… Be a Blessing with CNS Clergy
Thursday, October 3, 7:00pm
There is an ancient teaching that the way you begin your year is a sign for how it will proceed. Let’s begin our year with the blessing of community. Join your CNS clergy as we mark the flow of Rosh Hashanah from one day to the next. Together we’ll share a nosh, l’chaim, and share a piece of Torah that is at the heart of our High Holy Day practice. Ma’ariv to follow.
2nd Day Rosh Hashanah Learning Experiences
Friday, October 4 – Room 102
9:00am Rabbi David Kosak Joy is a Blessing: Aligning Our Lives to a Higher Purpose
Our kehillah’s annual theme is “Amen: Be a Blessing.” The core lesson of blessings suggests that we have more control over our daily experiences than we realize. By opening ourselves to joy even during tough times, we can transform our lives, recognizing that we are a blessing to ourselves and others. In this class, we will study texts that highlight the pervasive joy in the world and explore how these texts can guide us to live joyfully.
10:00am Mel Berwin And You Shall Be a Blessing…
This promise to Abraham and Sarah is our inheritance. What does it mean to be a blessing, and what can we understand from this text and others about the function of blessings in our lives? We’ll delve into traditional and contemporary texts for a meaningful conversation. All are welcome.
11:00am Rabbi Devin Villarreal Creating through Conversation
As we reflect on the emergence of the world on Rosh Hashanah, many of our texts highlight creation as the result of conversation. In this session, we’ll delve into these texts and explore what these dialogues reveal to us about partnership, connection, and building something together.
Shanah: A Whole Family 2nd Day Rosh Hashanah Exploration
Friday, October 4, 10:00am-12:30pm (Shofar and short service at 10am) | FREE
For families with kids ages 0-12. Join us on the second day of Rosh Hashanah as we celebrate the Birthday of the World! Hear the shofar, make and taste freshly pressed apple cider, experience Tashlich (symbolic reflection on our missteps over the past year), family-friendly hiking, and more fun! Bring your own container for cider if you’d like to take some home! Questions? Contact eposen@nevehshalom.org.
NOTE: Please come dressed and prepared for hiking, outdoor activities, and movement.
Tashlich
Friday, October 4
This year Tashlich is performed on Sunday, September 17th. There will be no communal Tashlich this year. You are invited to go solo, or gather with your family and/or friends to create your own ritual experience. Click here for a prayer book.
Another popular option is a “reverse Tashlich” – where, instead of throwing pocket lint and bread crumbs out to say goodbye to one’s “schmutz”, you find an area in nature or your community to clean up, in the spirit of also ridding our community of the “schmutz.”. The intention held in the heart is the same.
Possible locations for your personal Tashlich or reverse Tashlich around the city are:
- S. Beaverton along Fanno Creek in the Fanno Creek Greenway, near Greenway Park
- N. Beaverton along Hall Creek just off SW 117th
- Neveh Shalom at creek off lower parking lot
- Wilsonville along the Willamette River
- SE Portland in Sellwood Riverfront Park along the Willamette
- NE Portland at Broughton Beach along the Columbia River (Marine Drive near 33rd)
Kever Avot Graveside Visit
Sunday, Oct 6 | 9:00-10:00am Ahavai Shalom | 10:30-11:30am Neveh Zedek
The Jewish embrace of life is intertwined with respect for those who came before. In between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, there is a beautiful custom for families to gather at our cemeteries to recite special readings and hear the memorial prayers graveside. Depending on weather, we will gather outdoors or in the chapels.
Kol Nidre for Teens
Friday, October 11, 6:00pm, Zidell Chapel
Teens (7th-12th grades) are invited to a creative Kol Nidre experience with Youth Engagement Specialist Sarah Rohr. Using traditional and contemporary ideas, we’ll create a ritual to let go of what’s not working in our lives and relish what is.
NEW THIS YEAR! Yom Kippur Discussion Circle for Teens
Saturday, October 12, 10:00am, Zidell Chapel
Teens (7th-12th grades) are invited to a Yom Kippur conversation on the topic of Teshuva—how we repent, forgive, and make change. With Youth Engagement Specialist Sarah Rohr.
A Special Yom Kippur Storytelling Experience
Saturday, October 12, Room 101
12:00pm Entering the Holy of Holies: Storytelling and the High Priest
Jewish storyteller Brian Rohr will share a dramatic telling about the High Priest who, on this day of Yom Kippur only, entered the Holy of Holies, to stand before YHVH on behalf of the people.
Suitable for teens and adults.
NEW THIS YEAR! Feldstein Library Yom Kippur Book Cart
During Yom Kippur, Saturday, October 12
Librarian Leora Troper will be providing inspirational and contemplative books to borrow and read throughout the day. Keep an eye out for the black library book cart. Also, check out the Feldstein library webpage for a list of books to help you prepare for the High Holy Days.
Sukkot | Shemini Atzeret | Simchat Torah
Sukkot
October 16-23
Sukkot is the celebration of sacred time with its ties to nature, the Sukkah, and the successful conclusion of the High Holy Days season. There will be opportunities to gather with friends and community for food, prayer, study, conversation, and fun.
Hoshana Rabah
Wednesday, October 23
Hoshana Rabah comes toward the end of Sukkot. The ancient custom of beating willow branches at the conclusion of morning services pulls back the curtain on early Judaism and our land-based rituals. In a time of renewed environmental concerns, this unusual tradition has regained its relevance.
Shemini Atzeret/Yizkor
Thursday, October 24
The strength of the Jewish family depends on an intergenerational covenant of mutual concern. One way we demonstrate that is at Yizkor Services, when we reflect on those who came before us. This is a powerful moment to replenish our memories and our love of those we have lost.
Simchat Torah
October 24-25
Simchat Torah celebrates and marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of Torah readings and the beginning of a new cycle.
For all of the Sukkot | Shemini Atzeret | Simchat Torah events, please visit: https://nevehshalom.org/sukkot-shemini-atzeret-simchat-torah-5784
