High Holiday Pre-Service Discussions to Debut this Year:  

An Invitation from Kol Shalom President, Elly Adelman

Kol Shalom’s approach to the high holidays, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, emphasizes the opportunity that these celebrations provide for reflection and refocus.  Rosh Hashanah, head of the year in Hebrew,  is a time for looking ahead to the new year.  Here in the northern hemisphere that coincides with autumn, which I experience as a more contemplative time than the headlong sunny rush of summer.  Ten days later is Yom Kippur which can be an opportunity for introspection, letting go, and seeking a new path for the new year.  However you approach the holidays, Kol Shalom will be here to welcome you.  

This year we are debuting informal Pre-Service Discussions which will take place at WHUUF 45 minutes prior to the start of the service.  As we talk and explore themes we are also getting to know one another; we can then walk upstairs in time for the services and have more friendly faces at the oneg or break-fast following the ceremony.  The Rosh Hashanah discussion, which starts at 6:15 pm on September 20, will include a brief exploration of Ashkenazic and Sephardic traditions, including festive foods, and rituals such as tashlikh.

The Yom Kippur pre-service discussion, which starts at 3:15 on September 30, will include reflections on change including forgiving (particularly ourselves) and moving forward.
How do you approach entering the new year?  Let’s talk and explore together.  The discussion will be co-faciliated by myself and Kim Gould.  Hope to see you there.  

                                                                                          Elly Adelman
                                                                                      
Information about Kol Shalom's Yom Kippur Service