September 2019

Days of Awe 5780

This year, our services will be led by Rabbi Heidi Hoover and our new Associate Rabbi/Educator, Alexis Pinsky. Music is especially important to our High Holy Days. In addition to our two rabbis, who sing wonderfully, our Cantorial Soloist Nonie Schuster, Accompanist Maxine Feldman and our excellent community choir will add beautiful music to our inspiring services. All services will be livestreamed for those who cannot attend in person.

The High Holy Days schedule is as follows:

Selichot………………………………………………………..Saturday, Sept. 21^st, 7:30 PM  

Rosh Hashanah

Erev Rosh Hashanah……………………………………………….Sunday, Sept. 29^th, 8 PM

Morning Service – Day 1………………………………………….Monday, Sept. 30^th, 10 AM

Children’s Service……………………………………………….Monday, Sept. 30^th, 1:30 PM

Tashlich – Day 1……………………………………….Monday, Sept. 30^th, approx. 2:30 PM

Morning Service – Day 2……………………………………………Tuesday, Oct. 1^st, 10 AM

Tashlich – Day 2………………………………………….Tuesday, Oct. 1^st, approx.1:30 PM

Yom Kippur

Kol Nidre……………………………………………….Tuesday, Oct. 8^th, 7:30 PM promptly

Morning Service…………………………………………………Wednesday, Oct. 9^th, 10 AM

Children’s Service/Study Session…………………………..Wednesday, Oct. 9^th, 1:15 PM

Yizkor/Afternoon Service/N’ilah……………………………..Wednesday, Oct. 9^th, 2:45 PM

Community Break the Fast………………………………………Wednesday, Oct. 9^th, 7 PM

Last year we tried something new with the tickets for the High Holy Days — a combination ticket/name tag. This worked well and the tickets you receive this year will again be the combination name tag and ticket. When you join us for services, we ask that you wear the name tag around your neck using a lanyard, which will be provided. It’s always nice to start a conversation knowing someone’s name, and to have a quick way to check if you think you’ve forgotten it.

Because of the larger size of the congregation, and the limited seating, we will be checking tickets at the door. Therefore, it is important that you bring your tickets with you. Please note that children’s services and Yizkor services will be open to the community and tickets are not required. If you do not have your tickets, please check in with the ushers upon arrival.

A limited number reserved seats are available; people with reserved seats will have the seat numbers on their tickets. Everyone else will have a regular ticket and can sit in any unreserved seat. Every effort will be made for family groups to sit together, but priority for reserved seats will go to those who need a particular accommodation.

Our two Tashlich services last year were a success and we will be continuing this practice this year. The first Tashlich service will be on the first day of Rosh Hashanah and will take place at the lake in Prospect Park. The Tashlich service on the second day of Rosh Hashanah will be held at the Salt Marsh Nature Center at Marine Park. This means that people who could not attend Tashlich because of the long walk to Prospect Park now have the opportunity to participate.

We look forward to spending the High Holidays with you as we begin a new year together.

According to our minhag (custom) at B’ShERT, we will once again be livestreaming our holiday services for those congregants and community members who are unable to join us in person. This year, our livestream will appear on our YouTube channel (also embedded above) and will be linked from our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram pages (as well as the front page of the website). Our broadcasts continue with Kol Nidre at 7:30 pm Tuesday evening, October 8th.

The practice of livestreaming holiday services from B’ShERT began in 2012 (when the Ditmas Park branch of the congregation was still known as Temple Beth Emeth v’Ohr Progressive Shaari Zedek). Longtime congregant Werner Friedlander z”l was housebound and concerned that he would not be able to observe the mitzvah of listening to the sound of the shofar on the holiday. He called Rabbi Hoover to ask if she would call him on Rosh Hashanah and “phone in” a shofar blowing for his benefit. While she was happy to oblige, she thought that other congregants might also want the option of tuning in for services, so she asked her husband and congregational tech maven Mike Rose to set up a video stream.

If you have problems accessing the stream, please let us know! You can email tech@bshert.org or call the office and we’ll try to correct the issue.

Friday, September 27^th – 10:00 am – Tot Shabbat for children 5 years old or younger and their caregiver.

7:00 pm – Torah Study – This week’s Torah portion is Nitzavim (Deuteronomy 29:9-30:20).  If you would like to read this portion beforehand, please go to:

http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0529.htm#9

8:00 pm – Shabbat Service

Saturday, September 28^th – 9:45 am – Religious school.

9:45 am –B’Yachad: Adults in discussion together.

11:00 am – Shabbat Services.

Sunday, September 29^th – 8:00 pm. Erev Rosh Hashanah

Monday, September 30^th – 10:00 am. Rosh Hashanah Service.

1:30 pm – Children’s Service.

2:30 pm (approx.) – Tashlich—we will walk together to the pond in Prospect Park to symbolically throw our sins away.

Tuesday, October 1^st – 10:00 am.  Rosh Hashanah Service.

1:30 pm – Tashlich—we will drive to the Salt Marsh Nature Center, 3301 Avenue U, to symbolically throw our sins away.

Friday, October 4^th – 10:00 am – Tot Shabbat for children 5 years old or younger and their caregiver.

6:30 pm – Dairy Potluck – Temple provides pizza and pasta, you bring a dairy side dish or dessert.

8:00 pm – Shabbat Service with Torah Service.

Saturday, October 5^th – 9:45 am – Religious school

9:45 am – Torah study – This week’s Torah portion is Vayeilech (Deuteronomy 31:1-30).  If you would like to read the Torah portion beforehand, go to:

http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0531.htm#1

11:00 am – Shabbat Services.

Rosh Hashanah Food Drive – Beginning on Rosh Hashanah bags will be available for you to take home and fill with unexpired, non-perishable food to be given to Our Lady of Refuge Church Food Pantry (with a portion going to our “Little Pantry”).  Bags can be returned to the Temple anytime through Sukkot.

Remember the Little Free Pantry—On the Church Avenue side of the building is our Little Free Pantry, built by the b’nei mitzvah class a couple of years ago. We stock it with food and toiletry items for members of the greater community to take if they need them. Items placed in the pantry are almost always gone within a few hours, so there is always room for more. Please bring non-perishable, desirable, unopened, unexpired food or new, packaged toiletry items (diapers, wipes, shampoos and soaps, toothpaste, mouthwash, sanitary pads and tampons, etc.) when you think of it. You may put items directly in the pantry or leave them in Rabbi’s office. Thank you!

Our August 18th joint program with GSBC (the congregation that holds services in our sanctuary most Sundays) was a great success! Thanks to Wells Abellard for putting together this wonderful video commemorating the day.