High Holy Days

Selichot

Selichot, meaning “forgiveness,” helps prepare us spiritually for the High Holy Days and the journey of reflection and renewal ahead. At Temple Menorah, our Selichot experience combines meaningful prayer, music, learning, and community as we enter the Days of Awe together with intention and openness.

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year

Rosh Hashanah, often called the Birthday of the World, calls us to reflection, renewal, and hope for the year ahead. Our egalitarian and accessible services include inspiring music, prayer, Torah reading, and the sounding of the shofar, creating opportunities for worship that are participatory, engaging, and meaningful for all ages and backgrounds.

Temple Menorah also offers special experiences for young families, including Shabbat on the Shore at the beach on Rosh Hashanah, which leads into our community Tashlich gathering by the ocean. Tashlich offers a powerful opportunity to symbolically cast away the burdens of the past year while standing together beside the water and beginning the new year with a sense of renewal.

Following services on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, congregants are invited to continue the day with our Lunch and Learn program, bringing together learning, conversation, and community connection. Services continue on the second day of Rosh Hashanah for additional opportunities to reflect and connect.

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement

Yom Kippur invites us into deep reflection, prayer, forgiveness, and spiritual renewal. Beginning with the moving melodies of Kol Nidre and concluding with the final blast of the shofar at Ne’ilah, our services create space for personal introspection alongside communal worship and connection.
In addition to our main worship experiences, Temple Menorah offers continued opportunities for learning, reflection, and community connection throughout Yom Kippur day following the main service. We also offer a Yom Kippur Family Experience geared towards young families.

Patience, Prospective Members, and Security

The safety of our community is a high priority, especially during the High Holy Days. We take the security of our congregation seriously while striving to maintain the warm and welcoming spiritual community that is Temple Menorah. Various security measures and protocols are in place, and we appreciate everyone’s patience and kind cooperation with our security guards, trained volunteer security team, and ushers as we work through them with as little distraction as possible. Please be prepared to show a valid form of identification.

The High Holy Days are often a time when we welcome many new and returning faces, including members who are otherwise unable to attend at other times of year, as well as guests and prospective members. Guests are always a welcome presence during the High Holy Days.