High Holy Days

The High Holidays – Rosh Hashanah (New Year’s) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) – are times for both introspection and communal gathering. Rosh Hashanah is a joyous occasion where we are thankful for the good things that we enjoyed during the past year, yet we are mindful that God is calling upon us to live up to His expectations. By contrast Yom Kippur is a solemn day where we take inventory of our souls, look upon what we have done in the past and promise to do better in the coming year. In our Temple the High Holiday services are led by Rabbi Shull with support from a cantorial assistant from our congregation. We read from the Gates of Repentance at these services.

We hold services at the Temple on the evening of Rosh Hashanah and on the following morning. Following the morning service the congregation is invited to walk three blocks from the Temple to the banks of the Neuse River for a brief tashlich service, at which we symbolically cast our sins away into the flowing waters of the river. On Yom Kippur we hold services on the evening of Yom Kippur (Kol Nidrei), on the following morning and begin the Yizkor and concluding services in the afternoon of Yom Kippur. As the High Holidays draw near please check this website or the Shofar for the times of each service.

Our services are open to the entire community and both Temple members and non-members are equally welcome. Regrettably, the costs of keeping our Temple open are substantial and we must ask those who do not support the Temple through their membership commitment to help support us by making a donation to the Temple when attending our High Holiday services. We will not be able to be here for you in your time of need if you are not also here for us.

 Once again, for planning and security reasons, we will be asking congregants to let us know if they will be attending.  Then we will email confirmation “tickets” and place the names on our guest list. We will be checking everyone in at the door when they arrive at the Temple. 

As in the past, there will be no charge for members to attend High Holy Day Services.   However, there will be a “required donation” or “admittance ticket” of $150 per person for nonmembers who wish to attend.

We look forward to sharing a wonderful High Holy Days together!