(members only)

Important Deadlines

September 15 – Deadlines for ORacle greetings, Yizkor list changes, Rosh HaShanah lunch, High Holy Days Singers sign up

September 26 – Deadline for in-person registration

Member Attendance & Registration

All attendees must register to attend in person. The deadline to register to attend services in person is September 26.
No need to register to attend individual services in person. Simply register for Rosh HaShanah and/or Yom Kippur and then attend any of the associated services.
All online attendance is via self registration. There is no need to look for a missing Zoom link sent from TBO weeks before the service. You can register right up until, or even after, the beginning of services. Registration is directly through Zoom and available here.

Guest Attendance & Registration

Online – Guests are invited to register for any of our online High Holy Day experiences free of charge.
Rosh HaShanah – Guests are welcome to register and attend our Rosh HaShanah festival with no registration fee. Erev Rosh HaShanah attendance is limited to members.
Yom Kippur – Guests with young children are welcome to register and attend our Erev Yom Kippur Family Service. In-person attendance for the rest of our Yom Kippur services is limited to members and immediate family. If you would like to attend with a family member who is a member of Temple Beth Or, please contact the office (office@templebethor.org).

Online Services

There is no deadline for online registration – you can register right up until, or even after the beginning of services – but if you register in advance Zoom will send you reminders! Access service links here.

Addtional HHD Information

Volunteering

Volunteering for our Rosh HaShanah festival or at Temple Beth Or on Yom Kippur is a great way to begin your Jewish year. You are very much needed to help make the High Holy Days a meaningful expression of our TBO family/community.

Please consider giving an hour or two of your time to assist. Volunteers are still needed for a variety of roles. For a full list of volunteer opportunities and an easy online sign-up, please click here.
High Holy Days Singers & Musicians

With the High Holy Days just around the corner, it is time to get your voice warmed up and join our group of community singers. No experience is necessary. It’s a great way to participate in the High Holy Days, connect with other members and get an opportunity to work closely with our High Holy Days soloist, Steven Chaitman. Music and recordings will be available in advance. You can choose which of the songs you want to sing or go all in and do them all. Instrumental musicians who can read music or chords are welcome to participate too. We have two rehearsals, one for each holy day. Please contact the office if you have any questions and/or are interested in becoming a member of the High Holy Days Singers and Musicians. Deadline for sign-up is September 15.
High Holy Days Food Drive

Once again this year Temple Beth Or is helping our local Volunteers of America Food Bank as part of the High Holidays Food Drive. The Torah and Jewish tradition command that we feed the hungry and help eradicate hunger from our society.

Food/Hygiene Items: Any non-perishable food or hygiene items are welcome but there is a special need for: canned fruit/vegetables, peanut butter, boxed/canned meals, and diapers/baby wipes.
Checks/Cash: Checks made payable to the VOAWW (Volunteers of America Western Washington) Food Bank are also greatly appreciated and may be preferable because the food bank can purchase what is most needed, including perishables. Envelopes with donation information will be available at the registration desk on Rosh HaShanah. Direct donations can also be made at voaww.org/donate.
Volunteering: Other ways to support the community include volunteering at a community garden that donates product to food banks, or volunteering at the food bank. For more information please contact volunteer.voaww.org.

Donations can be brought to one of two Yom Kippur services – Erev Yom Kippur (Kol Nidrei), or the Yom Kippur Morning Service. Volunteers will be available in the classroom adjacent to the garage on the edge of the parking lot before services to receive your donations. Please note we will not be accepting donations at Rosh HaShanah this year.

Please help make our fast a feast for those whose daily fast is neither symbolic nor voluntary.
Prayer Books

High Holy Days prayer books will be available for your use at our Rosh HaShanah retreat and at TBO for Yom Kippur. If you are a member attending online only and wish to borrow a book, please contact the office. If you wish to have your own copy of the two-book Mishkan HaNefesh set, it can be purchased from the publisher CCAR Press or as an e-book on Amazon Kindle (Rosh HaShanah | Yom Kippur). Amazon Kindle books can also be read through the Kindle app on any phone
Service Participation
Donations

As the High Holy Days are a traditional time to make donations, may we suggest donations in support of these Temple Beth Or Funds: General Fund, Wexler Family Music Fund, Religious School Scholarship Fund, Torah Repair Fund, and/or the Tzedakah Fund, which helps organizations and individuals in need. Many thanks to Eldon and Carolyn Wexler for establishing and seeding the Wexler Family Music Fund which helps support hiring a musical leader to enhance our High Holy Days services. Donations to the Wexler Family Music Fund are matched dollar for dollar by the Wexler family.

These donation options, as well as bookplate information, are available on your registration form. Donations can also be made on our website or via mail.
Bookplates

Help support Temple Beth Or by purchasing High Holy Days prayer book bookplates in memory of a loved one or in honor of a person, persons, or event. Please be as generous as possible, as the funds raised will be used to meet the Temple’s greatest needs, such as Torah repair. The suggested minimum donation is $36.00. Bookplate order forms are included as part of your High Holy Days registration.
ORacle High Holy Days Greetings
Listen Everywhere System for Hearing Enhancement

The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle granted TBO an Ignition Grant to improve services for people under the ADA umbrella. We chose to request funding for a system to enhance hearing options for those with decreased hearing, and have purchased a program called Listen Everywhere.

The Listen Everywhere system is for people with any kind of hearing aid, or anyone who does not yet use a hearing aid but could use some amplification. It is a Bluetooth system with a phone app for those who have that capability on their phones.

If you would like to use the Listen Everywhere system for upcoming High Holy Days services, please check the box on your registration form so we can plan ahead.
Special Accommodations

If you are in need of special seating, large print books, or any other kind of additional accommodations in order to make your High Holy Days experience more accessible and enjoyable, please check the box on your registration form and the office will contact you. You are also welcome to reach out to the office directly with questions or requests.
Rosh HaShanah Youth Programming
Morning Youth Programming will be with members of our Religious School faculty and is for Pre-K (fully potty
trained) – 7th grade aged children.

Babies and toddlers are welcome to dance and play on the lawn during services and will especially enjoy stories with Rabbi Kort in the afternoon.

8th graders and older are invited to assist with Youth Programming in the morning or attend Worship Services.

There will be a special program for middle and high school students in the afternoon.

Please let us know the names and ages of children in your registration so we can plan accordingly.
Rosh HaShanah Lunch Information
This year we are offering deli sandwiches picnic lunches. The deadline for ordering is September 15. Lunch registration is included on your High Holy Days registration form. Lunches are $18.

Please feel free to bring your own lunch. Water will be available so please remember to bring your own water bottle. Water fill ups will be available in the dining room.

Sandwich options are listed below. All sandwiches come with chips, drink, cookies, and fruit.

Turkey & Avocado – mayo, mustard, roasted turkey, avocado, tomato, lettuce

Roast Beef – horseradish aioli, caramelized onions

Tuna – mayo, mustard, tuna, lettuce

Tofu Banh Mi (Vegan) – marinated tofu, pickled carrots, cucumber slices, cilantro, vegan mayo, sriracha

If you would prefer to print all of the above information,
you can download a PDF here.

About the High Holy Days

Rosh HaShanah

Rosh HaShanah (“Head of the Year”) is observed on the first day of the month of Tishrei. It marks the beginning of the High Holy Days, which culminates on Yom Kippur. The customs and symbols of Rosh HaShanah reflect the holiday’s emphasis on both happiness and humility. On Rosh HaShanah, we sound the shofar, use round challah, and eat apples and honey for a sweet new year.

Selichot (“forgiveness”) is the candlelight service marking the Jewish week preceding Rosh HaShanah. Held after sundown on Saturday, this service begins our cheshbon nefesh (“accounting of the soul”) as part of t’shuvah (“return”) to our truest selves. We begin with dessert, Havdalah and a worship service; then close the evening in quiet reflection as the parokhet (ark curtain) and Torah covers are prepared for the coming High Holy Days.

Tashlich (“casting off”) is a symbolic dispersal of our errors to the winds and the sea, after we have begun the process of t’shuvah. Our Tashlich service is held at a local lake or river on Rosh HaShanah afternoon.

Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur (“Day of Atonement”) is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. In three separate passages, the Torah states, “the tenth day of the seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be a sacred occasion for you: You shall practice self-denial.” (Leviticus 23:27). We fulfill this commandment by fasting, which also enables us to put aside our physical desires and to concentrate on our spiritual needs through prayer, repentance and self-improvement. It is customary in the days before Yom Kippur to seek out friends and family whom we have wronged and ask for their forgiveness.

The Shabbat Shuvah (“The Shabbat of Return”) Service, occurs on the Saturday between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and is considered to be a time of reflection leading up to the Day of Atonement.

Yom Kippur concludes with a Yizkor (“remembrance”) Memorial Service, where the names of members’ immediate family are read aloud.

High Holy Days schedule

In-Person Service Registration

Online Service Registration

High Holy Days Greetings

Volunteer Sign-Up