CONGREGATION NEVEH SHALOM HIGH HOLY DAYS 5779 A Special Note About This Year’s Rosh Hashanah Day 1 Services On Rosh Hashanah, we come together as a community to reflect on the year that was and celebrate the possibilities ahead. To enhance both that sense of togetherness and also the energy and ruach of our services, this year we will be having a combined Shacharit service on the first day of Rosh Hashanah. We will gather in the main sanctuary at 8:30am as our teens lead us in communal prayer. At 9:45am, we’ll have a coffee and honey cake break. We hope this will allow everyone some precious moments to reconnect with friends and family. At 10:00am sharp, the Torah service and Musaf will begin in two locations, the Main Sanctuary and Birnbach Hall. We are always looking for ways to enhance social opportunities and the quality of our communal prayer. We look forward to hearing how you experience this new opportunity and wish you a sweet and happy year. The CNS Clergy Team Rabbi Kosak, Rabbi Posen and Cantor Bitton Table of contents Rabbi Greeting...........................................................................................3 President Greeting.....................................................................................4 Annual Giving Campaign............................................................................5 High Holy Day Schedule..........................................................................6-8 High Holy Day Alternative Experiences......................................................9 Family Services Information................................................................10-11 Registration Form........................................................................Centerfold Shanah: A Whole Family Rosh Hashanah Exploration..............................12 Special Events......................................................................................13-14 HHD Book Recommendations..................................................................15 High Holiday Etiquette.............................................................................16 Off-Site Parking Map................................................................................17 Sukkot......................................................................................................18 Simchat Torah..........................................................................................19 Rabbi Greeting “Sound the Shofar at the New Moon; At the concealed time for our festival day.” -Psalm 81 Most of our Jewish holidays take place beneath a lunar sky. There’s a subtle beauty to a sukkah bathed in soft light. Our other pilgrimage festivals also occur when the moon is full or close to it. The exception to this is Rosh Hashanah. This is made explicit in the eighty-first psalm where we are instructed to blow the shofar when the moon is new and the time is concealed or covered. This is a literal description, for in an age before artificial illumination, the night sky was dark and lit only by star points. Eliyahu Kitov, author of The Book of Our Heritage, draws from midrashic imagination to explain this practice. On Rosh Hashanah, everything is concealed. The Jewish people, who are compared to the moon, diminish our light before this day of judgement. Similarly, God “covers” or conceals our faults and errors so that we can be forgiven. There’s another place in our midrash that speaks of concealment—namely that none of us know the day of our death. If we did, the argument goes, we wouldn’t bother to build a house or plant a vineyard. Why work so hard for something we won’t get to enjoy? Hiddenness is an essential part of discovery and change. Often, it drives our curiosity. The television show,The Price is Right, banked on this drive to find out what was behind curtain number one. In a similar way, we tend to place a higher value on that which is rare and out of sight. Many people when dating carefully consider when and how to reveal secrets and private matters of the heart. According to the first midrash, the ability to forget (cover our sins) also allows us a new lease on life. If we pay too much attention to what was—especially in areas of life where we didn’t live out our best selves—we can get stuck and unable to find our way forward. Renewal and the belief that we can change certainly require us to assess our actions. It also requires we turn a blind eye to our habits so that we can head in a new direction. New discoveries also require that we relinquish past conceptions. In the darkness of a new year, we are encouraged to seek the light. This year, I’d like to invite you to participate in a new class or program at Neveh Shalom. Improve your Hebrew or synagogue skills; engage in young family activities, or, for those later in life, participate in our Wondering Jews series. Take part in acts of kindness and tikkun olam. Come to my “God for Grown-Ups” course where we will “cover up” our outdated notions of God so we can find the God we can believe in as sophisticated adults. Or attend our new series on Science and Spirituality. May this be a year of new discoveries for you. Shanah tovah u’metukah, Page 3 President Greeting Dear Friends, As I write this letter in anticipation of the Yamim Noraim, I begin to think how this is a time to celebrate our accomplish- ments of the past year, and also a time to reflect and assess the things we should have done but did not get a chance to do. And while there are things that we all regret, Judaism provides us with a path to use mistakes to grow forward. As the saying goes, it is Elul - be happy! And, when we hear the shofar blasts, let it awaken you. Cantor Ellen Dreskin once wrote “The shofar is narrow at the beginning and wide at the end. May we remember to begin with ourselves, and then open our hearts and our ears and our eyes to understand that we too can be bigger – we can be wider – and our smallest actions can make a huge difference in the world.” We strive to create a safe, vibrant and inclusive kehillah in which members feel strongly connected to each other and to our heritage. We are blessed to have won- derful staff, clergy and lay leaders who are committed to making CNS a community of connection and encounter. Whether you are a new member or have been here for many years, please reach out to someone you don’t know and introduce yourself. My one ask - “Help me” - by offering comments and suggestions on how our kehillah can best meet your needs as a member and as a Conservative Jew. If we are to celebrate our upcoming 150th anniversary along with surviving for another 150 years, we need your feedback and your participation. Thanks for supporting Congregation Neveh Shalom - both spiritually, financially and with your time. I am proud and humbled to serve as your President and lead us as we embark on many wonderful journeys together. My family looks forward to spending time with each of you during these Days of Awe and throughout the year. On behalf of the Board of Directors, the clergy and staff of CNS, along with my wife Allison and our daughters Eliana, Sarina and Adena - may you and your loved ones have a happy, healthy and fulfilling 5779. L’Shana Tova Umetukah, Jason H. Kaufman President Page 4 Annual Giving Campaign “Charity outweighs all other commitments” – Talmud ומחר row ום or הי m o ? י ת Shalom! Thank you for taking the time for T Annual מ d י n א our Annual Giving Campaign. Our kehillah is a ו ש blessed with riches. This is a big year for Neveh y Giving a כ d ע Shalom. As we prepare to celebrate our 150th o א T ל anniversary, we continue to build the Annual Campaign ? ם n א e Giving Campaign and grow our community. h I f W 5779 N , o w t o Your generosity helps us fund many of the N programs and educational opportunities that happen here. As you decide how you would like to give, please consider joining our Rabbi’s Circle which comes with special benefits. Each time we partake in an act of tzedakah, we help build and strengthen our kehilla and ourselves. We appreciate any amount you are able to give. Know that your contribution helps our kehillah grow and thrive. Your Support this year will: • Help our community engage individuals and whole families at every level. Your gifts provided over $250,000 in financial assistance to support nearly 270 families in 2017-2018. • Nurture young Jewish learners. $62,075 in scholarships were awarded to support over 350 students in the ALIYAH and Foundation School programs; $3,350 were awarded to USY teen leaders. • Deepen our connections through prayer, programming and Jewish learning with our visionary and dedicated clergy. Every Gift Matters – thank you for your contribution. Please make your gift today online:www.neveshalom.org/annual-giving or fill out the enclosed brochure. For more information please contact Dena Marshall, Development Director at [email protected] or call 503-246-8831. Todah rabah! Page 5 High Holy Day Schedule Selichot Saturday, September 1 - More info can be found on page 13 8:30pm Two Worlds: A Rock and Soul Selichot Experience, Stampfer Chapel Rosh Hashanah Sunday, September 9 7:16pm 5:15pm Young Family Service, Stampfer Chapel 6:15pm Erev Rosh Hashanah Service, Main Sanctuary Monday, September 10 8:16pm (light from pre-existing flame) 8:30am Combined Shacharit Service, Main Sanctuary 9:30-11am Family Services, Grade K-2, Room 102 9:30-11am Family Services, Grade 3-6, Zidell Chapel 9:45am Coffee & Honey Cake Break, Atrium 10:00-10:45am Young Family Services ages 0-5, Stampfer