This Jewish New Year will be marked by the unusual circumstances, challenges and opportunities wrought by the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Here at OrH, while our doors remain closed, our hearts – and our community – are open. We welcome members, guests and visitors to join us via Zoom for a full schedule of highly interactive services and programs, delivered with our usual mix of spirit, good humour, thoughtful intention, and joyous music.
Each virtual gathering will incorporate opportunities for authentic connection and conversation, and a range of ways for you to engage head and heart.
As we do every year, we welcome you as you are, whoever you are, and wherever you are.
Non-members and associate members of OrH are welcome to join us for the High Holy Days and throughout the month of Tishrey. Click here for more information.
High Holy Days Schedule
Zoom login information will be sent automatically to all current full and student members of Or Haneshamah and all registered Tishrey visitors and guests several days prior to Rosh Hashanah. If you do not receive a message, please contact us!
Please note that some events are subject to change.
Saturday, August 28 - Selihot
8:30 pm - A service of song, liturgy and creative collective artistry, introducing our New Torah Mantle with guest fabric artist Annie S. Kaufman.
Monday, September 6 - Erev Rosh Hashanah
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm - Join Morah Jenny and Rabbi Liz Rosh Hashanah seder with participatory maggid/story-telling, followed by the first service of the New Year.
6:00 - 7:00 pm Ritual - Blessings, Song, Greetings. We great each other and the new year, our tables ready for Shabbat and Rosh Hashanah, with song and brahot/blessings.
Tuesday, September 7 - Rosh Hashanah Day 1 Service
9:30 am - 11:15 am Service - Prayer, Song, Reflections. This exceptional new year we draw from our machzor's traditional prayers, sing some of our favorite melodies, recite core passages that call up the renewal of our heart, minds and souls, and hear creative reflections on the themes of the day.
11:15 am -11:45 am Mingle and Greet
11:45 am - 12:30 pm Torah - Chanting, Blessing, Conversation. We scroll to the traditional biblical texts read over the two days of Rosh Hashanah, hear selected passages chanted with the ancient tropes, bless and receive blessing, and gather in clusters to explore present-moment understandings.
12:30 pm - 1:00 pm Mingle and Greet
Tuesday, September 7 - Shofar & Tashlikh
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm - Structured communal and family rituals, along with time for personal self-guided time by the water.
Wednesday, September 8 - Rosh Hashanah Day 2 Text Study
10:30-12 pm Torah Study - Study, Exploration, Conversation.
Saturday, September 11 - Shabbat Shuva
Morning Torah Service (time to be confirmed) with Congregation Dorshei Emet - Join us for a special Shabbat Shuva service with our sister congregation Dorshei Emet of Montreal to reflect on this particular time in the Jewish year. Rabbi Liz will deliver a d'var Torah.
Wednesday, September 15 - Erev Yom Kippur/Kol Nidre
6:15 pm - 6:30 pm Gather
6:30 pm - 7:00 pm Kol Nidre
7:00 pm - 8:15 pm Evening Service
We draw close to one another, transcending our separate spaces through the powerful recitations of Kol Nidre, followed by the maariv/evening service and prayers of confession, enabling the regrets of the past to transform into intentions for the future.
Thursday, September 16 - Yom Kippur Morning
9:45 am - 11:15 am Morning Service - Prayer, Song, Reflections. This day of fasting (for those who are able) will feature the haunting melodies we love to hear and sing, the powerful ritual gestures of humility and vidui/confessions, and opportunities for reflection, introspection, and connection.
11:15 am - 11:45 am Mingle and Greet
11:45 am - 12:30 pm Torah - Chanting, Blessing, Conversation. The traditional biblical Torah reading for Yom Kippur, along with the Haftarah, align spiritual practice with social awareness. We will hear selected passages chanted with the ancient tropes, bless and receive blessing, and gather in clusters to explore present-moment understanding
12:30 pm - 1:00 pm Mingle and Greet
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Family program led by Morah Jenny
Thursday, September 18 - Yom Kippur Afternoon & Evening
4:00 pm - 5:30 pm - We begin by exploring a difficult issue in the liturgy for our "Avodah"/offering, and continue with the story of Jonah, explored through classical as well as contemporary and personal vantage points.
6:15 pm - 8:00 pm Yizkor, Neilah, and Havdallah - We will be welcoming a small number of members into the sanctuary for this meaningful service of recalling our loved ones to whom we give honour, including a personal reflection from a member of the community, followed by the song, prayer and shofar of the Neilah service before the open ark.
The Tishrey festival events continue with:
Shabbat Sukkot - Saturday morning, September 25
Simchat Torah celebration (and Torah mantle inauguration!) – Tuesday, September 28
High Holy Days Resources
Click below to open a world of crafts/activities, videos, songs, discussion topics and even baking to help navigate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur in our current global health crisis. Inside these "digital backpacks," you'll be invited to take on challenges that will make your Zoom services more meaningful, your home more beautiful and your family ready for the New Year:
Rosh Hashanah Digital Backpack
High Holy Days Plays Family Activity
Yom Kippur Digital Backpack
HOLIDAY FUN for ALL!
Dig in to this digital backpack, created by Morah Jenny to celebrate Sukkot and Simhat Torah!
Download a copy of Kol Haneshamah: Prayerbook for the Days of Awe High Holy Day Machzor by clicking on the book below!
Invite Your Family to Celebrate with Us!
Or Haneshamah members can pay for immediate family members who are not included in a household membership (adult children, parents, grandparents, siblings, and their partners), regardless of where they live, to join them for the High Holy Days at OrH at the rate of $72/guest. Payment is made through the member's account by accessing the Tishrey Guest Registration Form here.
If you have any problems with the process please contact our webmaster.
Please note that our Tishrey Guest policy only applies to registered members and to their immediate family. Non-immediate relatives and friends of OrH members who wish to attend services are asked to register as Tishrey Visitors.
