הֲשִׁיבֵנוּ יהוה אֵלֶיךָ וְנָשׁוּבָה חַדֵשׁ יָמֵינוּ כְּקֶדֶם

Cause us to return to you, and we will return. Renew our days as before.  

We are so close to returning, but we’re not there yet. We still need to prepare. 

This year, we even have to prepare for the preparation. We use the whole month of Elul for soul-searching to get ready for the clean slate that Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur give us. The beginning of Elul is, for Shearith Israel, the day we begin the full return.

In the days leading up to the High Holidays, I invite you to reflect on all that we lost during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Reflect on the time that passed. Reflect on the experiences that never happened. Reflect on the people we lost. We all have to grieve these losses.  

I also invite you to reflect on all that we learned. Reflect on the resilience, on the new skills, on the incredible human ability to adapt. Reflect on the blessings and silver linings.  

Together, we will prepare for a new year, and we’ll begin again. Renew our days as before.

For details on Shearith Israel's High Holiday services, including services times, our alternative outdoor service, youth programming, to purchase our new Mahzor Lev Shalem prayerbook(s), order a lulav and etrog for Sukkot, and more, see below.   

-Rabbi Ari Kaiman

Livestream High Holiday Services Here

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digital mahzor 

To access a digital version of the Mahzor Lev Shalem for use while livestreaming, click the button below and then enter the following password: University1180 

Mahzor Lev Shalem - Digital Version

mahzorim "CROSSWALK":

Those participating in services via livestream with our previous High Holiday prayer book, the Mahzor Hadash, may find a breakdown of the corresponding page numbers in our new Mahzor Lev Shalem at these links: Rosh Hashanah Mahzor "Crosswalk" / Yom Kippur Mahzor "Crosswalk" 

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HIGH HOLIDAY SERVICES GUEST REGISTRATION 

All are welcome to participate in the holiest of days here at Shearith Israel. Members seeking additional tickets, Associate Members, guests, and community members, please click on the button below to purchase tickets. Guests may register without proof of membership elsewhere. For additional questions or support, please contact Jacinta Cox in the synagogue office at bookkeeper@shearithisrael.com or 404-503-9909. 

High Holiday Services - Guest Registration Form

If you are a member in good standing of another synagogue and wish to attend High Holiday services at CSI, click the order form below. College students may attend services free of charge provided they complete the Comp Ticket Form below and present a current student ID.

Reciprocity Ticket Order Form

College Student Comp Ticket Form

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Arrival, Seating & Logistics

Some say that with all of the change forced upon us by the pandemic, our spiritual needs for the High Holdays are fulfilled in other ways than liturgy and ritual. Some of us are not quite ready to gather in-person, and are not moved by virtual experiences. Others need to gather indoors with our community for the sounds of the High Holidays more than ever before. 

We are committed to providing a multiple access High Holidays this year. We know that the uncertainty many of us feel may prevent us from knowing how we will want to experience the High Holidays up until the moment of decision. 

The information below presents our current plan to provide the many ways into the High Holiday experience through Shearith Israel. It's designed for all of us to accept the unknown, and embrace flexibility. 

Please read through the details via the button below and join us as we once again begin a year with hope and prayer for a Shanah Tovah U'Metukah!

Parking, Arrival, Seating, Virtual Attendance & More 

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SERVICE TIMES

EREV ROSH HASHANAH - MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2021

ROSH HASHANAH, DAY 1 - TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

 

*Please note: Ma'ariv on Rosh Hashanah Day 1 will not be livestreamed, as it will take place outside of the synagogue following Tashlich.

ROSH HASHANAH, DAY 2 - WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

 

KOL NIDRE - WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

 

YOM KIPPUR - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

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YOUTH & FAMILY + Alternative outdoor SERVICES

CSI Spiritual Music Innovator Ori Salzberg will lead an alternative outdoor service on both days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, from 10:30am - 11:30am, for those most comfortable gathering in outside spaces at this point in the pandemic. This service will also serve as a family-friendly experience for young children and their parent(s), grandparent(s), etc. The abbreviated, song-filled, interactive service will feature singing and teachings and will not follow the traditional High Holiday liturgy found in the Sanctuary service. Register below.   

Alternative Outdoor Service - Register Here

TEEN SERVICE

Eytan and Zoe Ben-Oren will lead services for middle and high school students on the 1st day of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur at 10:30am. All students will meet in the Chapel and then split into groups (middle and high school) for separate services in the Chapel and Youth Lounge. Registration is not required.

Tapuach Tots

Nancy Gorod, Director of Congregational Learning, will lead a service especially for "Little Ones" (babies through pre-K) and their families on the 1st day of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur at 10:30am on the grassy lawn in front of the Education Building. Each child must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.   

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childcare & youth programming

We will once again be offering childcare and youth programming during the High Holidays. Learn more and register at the links below: 

Infant - PreK Babysitting & Childcare

Youth Programming: Grades K - 5

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TORAH STUDY WITH RABBI JONATHAN CRANE

We're pleased to offer opportunities for Torah Study with Rabbi Jonathan Crane on both days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur at 10am. The sessions will be held outdoors in the large tent on the grassy lawn in front of the Education Building at the intersection of University Drive and Spring Valley Lane. 

Rosh Hashanah Day 1: Stolen Dreams / Stolen Beams

If a house was built with a stolen beam, should the house be dismantled to return the beam to its original owner? If not, why not? What if that beam has been altered, then what? What do we owe others when we have used their beams and dreams?

Rosh Hashanah Day 2: Avkolas, or the guy who destroyed the Temple

According to a famous Talmudic story, the Second Temple was destroyed on account of Zekharia ben Avkolas. But it’s not so simple. Explore how opulent feasts with unwanted guests, scheming Caesars and indifferent rabbis, blemished animals and blushing humility intertwine in this burning narrative of hospitality and displacement. 

Yom Kippur: Living with Moral Injury 

Moral injury is the damage done to one’s conscience or moral compass when one perpetrates, witnesses, or fails to prevent acts that transgress one’s own moral beliefs, values, or ethical codes of conduct. After considering what moral injury looks like, we will wrestle with two classic instances of it and locate it in our contemporary circumstances.

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NEIGHBORHOOD SHOFAR BLASTS & TASHLICH GATHERINGS 

We are pleased to be offering outdoor gatherings in a few neighborhoods on the 1st day of Rosh Hashanah for the community to see one another, hear the shofar blasts and perform the Tashlich ritual. Locations include Shearith Israel, Herbert Taylor Park (Morningside), Peachtree Creek Greenway (Brookhaven) and Grant Park (Shofar service only). For meeting times and to register, click the button below.

Shofar & Tashlich Gatherings

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Kever Avot 

We will continue our annual tradition of Kever Avot, visiting the gravesites of our beloved deceased between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, on Sunday afternoon, September 12. Join Rabbi Kaiman and fellow community members for this meaningful tradition. Click the link for directions:

• 2:30pm Greenwood Cemetery (1173 Cascade Rd. SW Atlanta, GA 30311)
• 3:20pm Crest Lawn Memorial Park (2000 Marietta Blvd NW Atlanta, GA 30318)
• 4:10pm Arlington Memorial Park (201 Mt. Vernon Highway NW Sandy Springs, GA 30328)

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SUKKOT 5782

The beloved fall festival of Sukkot begins on Monday evening, September 20, with Yom Tov on Tuesday, September 21 and Wednesday, September 22. Shemini Atzeret begins on the evening of Monday, September 27, through sundown on Tuesday, September 28, and Simchat Torah begins the evening of Tuesday, September 28 through Wednesday, September 29. Celebrate the holidays here at CSI, enjoying services, time in the sukkah, shaking the lulav and etrog, and singing and dancing on Simchat Torah. View our Sukkot programming, and a step-by-step video guide on how to build your own sukkah below. 

Sukkot & Simchat Torah - Programs & Info

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mahzor * SUKKAH RAFFLE * LULAV & ETROG * BIMA DECORATIONS   

• MAHZOR LEV SHALEM - Shearith Israel will daven from a new mahzor beginning this coming Rosh Hashanah. The Mahzor Lev Shalem embraces the diverse backgrounds and expectations in our community, opening the door to meaningful prayer for every congregant through a rich assortment of readings, insightful commentary, faithful translations and plentiful transliterations. All are invited to purchase and/or donate mahzorim to CSI in honor or memory of loved ones. Click here for excerpts and further details.  
• SUKKAH RAFFLE - Enter our raffle to win an easy-to-assemble sukkah by completing this form! The winner will be announced at the end of Neila during the conclusion of Yom Kippur on Thursday, September 16, 2021.
• LULAV & ETROG - The deadline to order a lulav and etrog has passed. Please contact the office to see if extra sets are available by calling 404-873-1743.
• BIMA DECORATIONS - With your help, the High Holidays will be blooming with color. Please consider underwriting the cost of the blossoms and greens that will adorn our bima for the High Holidays. If you wish to contribute to the purchase of these decorations, please do so via the Online Payments page. Select "High Holiday Bima Decorations" from the drop-down menu. Thank you for helping to beautify our High Holiday experience!