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 Rabbi David Kosak, Rabbi Eve Posen, Cantor Eyal Bitton, and Natan Meir, along with lay leaders. We welcome all to experience the New Year with Neveh Shalom.

This year, our High Holy Days will be back in person.

We look forward to celebrating the Days of Awe together, as we did before the pandemic interrupted our lives. We are glad to be back! While we hope to see you in person, there will be a livestream option for some of our services. To keep each other safe, we will be requiring masks indoors and all who are eligible to be vaccinated. Families will be delighted to learn that our educational childcare and game room are back along with our special Shanah: RH Day 2 event. Adults are welcome to join us for our RH Day 2 learning and Yom Kippur storytelling sessions. You do not need to register for individual services this year. One registration ticket provides entry to all High Holy Day services, and you can choose where to participate. Our registration is completely online, and if you need support, you are always welcome to reach out to our staff, and help will be provided.

Shanah Tovah – wishing you a sweet new year – from
all of us at Congregation Neveh Shalom

Joining Us Online

Livestream will be available during the main adult services. 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.

Location-based livestream:

Services with livestream have a link in the schedule below.

Service Schedule

SELICHOT – Two Worlds: A Rock and Soul Selichot Experience
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17

8:00pm: Wine & Cheese | 8:30pm: Service | Free

EREV ROSH HASHANAH
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

4:30pm Erev Rosh Hashanah Young Family Service, Stampfer Chapel (Livestream)
5:00pm Erev Rosh Hashanah Service, Main Sanctuary (Livestream)

ROSH HASHANAH
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

8:30am Combined Pesukei and Shacharit, Main Sanctuary (Livestream)
9:00am Young Family Rosh Hashanah Service, Stampfer Chapel
9:30am Rosh Hashanah Service – Rabbi Kosak & Cantor Bitton, Main Sanctuary (Livestream)
9:30am Rosh Hashanah Service – Rabbi Posen & Ilene Safyan*, Birnbach Hall (Livestream)
10:30am Grade K-6 Family Service, Stampfer Chapel
7:15pm Tashlich,Trillium Creek (which runs through the ravine on synagogue grounds)
7:45pm (Immediately after Tashlich) Ma’ariv, Stampfer Chapel

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

9:00am RH 2nd Day Service (Lay-led with clergy support), Main Sanctuary (Livestream)
9:30am Family Rosh Hashanah 2nd Day Service, Stampfer Chapel (Livestream)
10:15am Shanah: A Family Rosh Hashanah Experience, Holzman Plaza
2nd Day Rosh Hashanah Learning Experiences, Room 102

  • 9:00am Rabbi David Kosak Learning to be Together
  • 10:00am Mel Berwin  Re-creating our lives
  • 11:00am Amy Katz Nourishing Body and Soul

KEVER AVOT GRAVESIDE SERVICE
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2

Neveh Zedek 9:30am | Ahavai Shalom 10:30am

EREV YOM KIPPUR
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4

6:00pm Kol Nidre Service – Rabbi Kosak & Cantor Bitton, Main Sanctuary (Livestream)
6:00pm Kol Nidre Service – Rabbi Posen & Natan Meir, Stampfer Chapel (Livestream)

YOM KIPPUR
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5

8:30am Combined Pesukei and Shacharit, Main Sanctuary (Livestream)
9:00am Young Family Yom Kippur Service, Stampfer Chapel
9:15am Yom Kippur Service – Rabbi Posen & Natan Meir*, Birnbach Hall (Livestream)
9:15am Yom Kippur Service – Rabbi Kosak & Cantor Bitton, Main Sanctuary (Livestream)
10:00am Entering the Holy of Holies: Storytelling & the High Priest, Room 101
10:30am Grade K-6 Family Service, Stampfer Chapel
12:00pm Yizkor, Main Sanctuary (Livestream)/Birnbach Hall (Livestream)
3:00pm Learning Time Discussion, Stampfer Chapel
4:00pm Minchah: A Martyrology Storytelling, Main Sanctuary (Livestream)
4:30pm Minchah: Torah Service & Amidah, Main Sanctuary (Livestream)
6:15pm Family Singing and Jonah Story, Stampfer Chapel
6:30pm Neilah – Rabbi Kosak, Rabbi Posen, & Cantor Bitton, Main Sanctuary (Livestream)
7:30pm Havdallah, Main Sanctuary (Livestream)
Immediately after Havdallah, Break the Fast, Birnbach Hall

*Please note that Ilene Safyan will be leading the Musaf service with Rabbi Eve on Rosh Hashanah Day 1 due to Natan Meir being sick. We wish Natan a refuah shleima, complete healing. 

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 bring back the game room for children in grades 1-5 after family services on Rosh Hashanah Day 1 and Yom Kippur.

Please note that masking is required and everyone 6 months and older who is eligible must be vaccinated. To review our full Covid policies while in the building, please see below.

CNS Shabbat Youth and Family Services

High Holy Days 5783 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 September 1. Tickets will be mailed around September 16.

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.

HHD Educational Childcare (0-2nd Grade)

Childcare registration is now closed.

Rosh Hashanah Day 1 – September 26 & Yom Kippur Day – October 5, 10am-12pm

  • 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 4, 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 Thursday, September 1.

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 JoAnn Bezodis at jbezodis@nevehshalom.org or call 503-293-7314.

BORROWING PRAYER BOOKS

Mahzor Lev Shalem – High Holy Day Prayer Books

As always, we will provide prayerbooks for those who are attending services in person. We also want to make sure that all CNS members who are joining us online are able to receive a prayerbook.

For those in need, there are a limited number of prayerbooks available for CNS members to borrow, one book per family. Books must be returned in undamaged condition by October 14 or there will be a $54 charge.

Please make your selection on the online HHD Registration Form.

*You can also purchase or lease a digital version of the prayerbook from USCJ & RA by clicking here.

Special High Holy Days 5783 Activities

Please note: While we have made all attempts to be as accurate with the information as possible, there are still so many unknowns and variables that some information may change over time. Some of this information will be adjusted, changed, cancelled, etc. based on direction from our Executive Committee and state recommendations. Please regularly visit this website and check your emails for the latest information.

Hear the Shofar During the Month of Elul
Mondays & Thursdays, August 29 & September 1, 5, 8, 12, 15, 19, 22

The month of Elul begins on August 28. It is traditional to come daily for Morning Minyan in preparation for the High Holy Days and hear the shofar being blown. For it to be a “kosher” hearing, you will need to hear it in person. It will be blown on Mondays & Thursdays at shul during Elul. If you are interested in blowing the shofar during this month, please contact Priscilla Kostiner at: lamalo@comcast.net. To join Morning Minyan, please visit nevehshalom.org/current-services.

Back to Shul 2022
Sunday, September 11, 12:00-2:00pm | In-Person, Holzman Plaza

Let’s celebrate! Join us as we gather as a kehillah/community for music, food, and fun!

Please RSVP so we know how many people are coming:
nevehshalom.org/B2S2022.

Two Worlds: A Rock and Soul Selichot Experience
Saturday, September 17, 8:00pm: Wine & Cheese | 8:30pm: Service | Free and In-Person

Our Selichot experience this year brings two worlds of music together. Rabbi Kosak and Cantor Bitton will capture the best part of tradition with beloved High Holiday melodies and offer up themes of Selichot through traditional melodies and contemporary rock and pop music. Prepare for the High Holy Days in a moving, meaningful way through music connecting us to the ways we are striving, forgiving, and seeking.

2nd Day Rosh Hashanah Learning Experiences
Tuesday, September 27 – Room 102

9:00am: Learning to be Together
Rabbi David Kosak
We spend our early years learning social skills that will serve us throughout life. As we age, the type and amount of social learning changes and slows down, but we continue to grow our social knowledge. The pandemic has taught us all that some of those socialization competencies are perishable skills that need to be renewed. In this session, some Jewish texts and perspectives on being together will be our guides for a robust discussion.

10:00am: Re-creating our lives
Mel Berwin
Rosh HaShanah celebrates the new year, and the beginning of the world. We’ve come through a period of such disruption that many of us find ourselves needing to create our worlds again post-pandemic. Join Director of Congregational Learning, Mel Berwin, for a dive into text and lively discussion on how renew our lives from the chaos of the past few years. Texts in Hebrew and English. All are welcome.

11:00am: Nourishing Body and Soul
Amy Katz
“Self-care” is a Jewish value we can glean from the earliest spark of Torah “for in God’s own image God made Humankind.” (Genesis 9:6) What does it mean to care for ourselves in a purposefully Jewish way and why is that a positive commandment? Explore ancient texts, share tips and strategies for ways we perform the mitzvah of care for self, and leave the session with renewed vigor and sense of community.

Shanah: A Whole Family 2nd Day Rosh Hashanah Exploration
Tuesday, September 27, 10:15-11:30am (Shofar and short service at 9:30am) | FREE

For families with kids ages 0-12. Join us on the 2nd Day of Rosh HaShanah as we celebrate the Birthday of the World! Hear the Shofar, make and taste fresh-pressed apple cider, experience Tashlich through a hike or meditation (symbolic reflection on our missteps over the past year), and more! Come dressed to explore and bring your own container for cider if you’d like to take some home! Questions: eposen@nevehshalom.org.

Kever Avot Graveside Visit
Sunday, October 2, Neveh Zedek: 9:30am | Ahavai Shalom: 10:30am

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 and health concerns, we will gather outdoors or in the chapels.

High Holy Days Food Drive
September 26-October 5

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. The collection will start at Rosh Hashanah and continue through Yom Kippur.

Two Special Yom Kippur Storytelling Experiences
Wednesday, October 5

Jewish storyteller Brian Rohr will share two different stories during Yom Kippur. Suitable for teens and adults.

10:00am: Entering the Holy of Holies: Storytelling and the High Priest
A dramatic story 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. Brian’s story, suitable for teens and adults, will set intention as we enter our own individual “holy of holies” on this most sacred of days. Room 101

4:00pm: The Blessing in Our Grief: Martyrology and Relating to the Divine
Delve into the difficult yet moving stories of our Jewish ancestors who risked and gave their lives in the practice of our faith. Who among us would do the same today? Main Sanctuary

For all of the Sukkot events, please visit: https://nevehshalom.org/sukkot-shemini-atzeret-simchat-torah-5783/

 

Sukkot Happenings
October 9-16

Sukkot is the celebration of sacred time with its ties to nature, the Sukkah, and the successful conclusion of the High Holiday season. Please stay tuned for opportunities to gather with friends and community for food, prayer, study, conversation, and fun.

Sukkah Build and Decoration
Sunday, October 9 – Build: 7:30-10:30am | Decorate: 10:30am-12pm

Join the Men’s Club and the Sisterhood for our annual Sukkah build and decoration following Yom Kippur in the Holzman Plaza. The tear-down will be on Sunday, October 23, 8-11am.

 

SUKKOT SERVICES

Sunday, October 9
Erev Sukkot (no service)

Monday-Tuesday, October 10-11
9:30am: Sukkot Services (kiddush lunch to follow)

Wednesday-Thursday, October 12-13
7:00am: Morning Minyan Chol HaMoed Sukkot Service

Friday, October 14
7:00am: Morning Minyan Chol HaMoed Sukkot Service
6:15pm: Friday Evening Festival Shabbat Service

Saturday, October 15
9:30am: Shabbat Chol HaMoed Sukkot Service

Sunday, October 16
9:00am: Hoshana Rabah Service

Shemini Atzeret/Yizkor Service
Monday, October 17, 9:30am
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.

To register for the Simchat Torah events, please visit: https://nevehshalom.org/sukkot-shemini-atzeret-simchat-torah-5783/

Simchat Torah Morning Service and Celebration
October 17-18
Simchat Torah celebrates and marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle. Join us for dinner and celebrations on Erev Simchat Torah and for morning services.

Monday, October 17
5:15pm Young Family Simchat Torah Fun
6:00pm Erev Simchat Torah Dinner & Celebration

Tuesday, October 18
9:30am Simchat Torah Morning Service (kiddush lunch to follow)

CONGREGATION NEVEH SHALOM’S COVID-19 POLICY AS IT RELATES TO HHDs

As you have read throughout this booklet, there are multiple ways to participate during this year’s High Holy Days: inside, outside, and online. If you are coming to the building for in-person services, here is our current policy.

Health

Only come to the CNS building if you are feeling healthy. Do not come to CNS if you’re feeling ill and for sure, do not come to CNS if you have COVID – even if you are asymptomatic.

Vaccination

Vaccination is expected and required for all congregants, guests, and visitors who are eligible and will be in the building for more than 15 minutes. Children under the age of 6 months and those not eligible for vaccination are welcome to attend services/programs in the building.

Masking While at CNS

During the High Holy Days, all congregants and guests are required to wear appropriate and correctly fitted (covering nose and mouth) facemasks in all public indoor spaces at CNS. Face shields without a mask are not allowed. This is due to the volume of people expected in the building and is different than our regular policy of masks being encouraged but not required.

Note that clergy and service participants may choose not to wear facemasks during the time they are leading and participating in the service from the bima.

Testing

For the safety of our congregation, we suggest everyone who is attending take a Covid-19 test prior to attending services. Reminder that there is a free Covid testing clinic in the lower Neveh Shalom parking lot, though do note that they will be closed on Rosh Hashanah Day 1 and Yom Kippur, and will be closing early on Erev Yom Kippur.

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