September 8, 2020   19 Elul, 5780

Shalom !

Best wishes of Shanah Tovah to you and your loved ones from your DHJC family.  Shanah Tovah is often translated as Happy New Year yet the very word for year (shanah) means to change and be transformed in uplifting fashions.  In essence, we pray for not just another year – rather we strive to create a year of inspiring changes and new hopes.  Shanah Tovah is more than just flipping the page of a calendar or scrolling into a new year on our tablet calendars, it is the conscious reality that time is a gift and that what we do can craft a year that will richly bless us and our community. 

At DHJC, we continue to transcend the turbulences of the pandemic and seek to implement pathways into this new year that will touch and inspire all of us.  We are linked together as a family and as a caring and innovative faith community.  Our community leadership continues to seek the good health and well-being of all and provides multiple opportunities to continue to connect with one another most especially in moments of prayer, study and celebrations. 

HIGH HOLY DAY INFORMATION

Details of Services

For services, we have three engaging opportunities for you to choose from.  To choose from the first two, you must be a member in good standing. Each member in good standing will receive a unique coded ID to enter our Live Streaming services and be loaned a High Holy Day Machzor (prayer book). To be a member in good standing you need to satisfy all financial obligations with the office.  Here are your three choices:

1) Traditional Prayer Service – abbreviated but moving service, online and with limited participation on-site, with pre-recorded portions and special cameo appearances led by Rabbi Howard Buechler, Cantor Steven Hevenstone, and several of our talented congregants.  YOU MUST REGISTER in order to participate both on-site and online.  CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.  The last day to register for on-site prayers is 9/10 and you will be sent a confirmation e-mail by 9/14, which will also include your personal Live Stream passcode for virtual services.

2) Family Services (aka Garden Room Service) – online led by Rabbi Yael Buechler and Cantorial Soloist, Scott Gultz, accessed via Zoom Only.

3) ECA Service – innovative and engaging online event tailored for our families with preschool-aged children led by Shira Averbuch.  Click here to register.

               If you register for any on-site service, please complete our waiver by clicking here.

 

Machzor Pickup

Our High Holy Day Machzors & a special family Gift Package are available for touchless pickup at the following times:

  • Thursday, 9/10 from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
  • Monday, 9/14 from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
  • Wednesday, 9/16 from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Please note that if due to unique circumstances you are unable to pick up at DHJC, our social action committee can deliver to you.  Also each machzor that you receive will be numbered and noted. If you do not return the books assigned to your family, you will be assessed a replacement fee of $50 per book.

Also, we have a most engaging and compelling High Holy Day Home Family Guide that is being placed in your gift bag.  The Guide is also accessible online by clicking here.

Other Engaging High Holy Day Activities

Noteworthy Torah Time – to spend a few minutes in front of the open ark doors in our DHJC main sanctuary for mindful & soulful inspiration.  In addition, you may leave a handwritten note (written on a small piece of paper) prepared at home that Rabbi Buechler will then place in the Kotel/Western Wall when travel to Israel resumes. 

Tashlikh & Shofar at the Shore – a majestic moment of soulful transformation in this new year to be held at Sunken Meadow State Park, on the beach, on Tuesday & Thursday afternoons, 9/22 and 9/24.

Click here to register for either of these activities.  The last day to register is 9/10 and you will be sent a confirmation e-mail by 9/14.  

We continue to meet the needs of our community in a tapestry of compassionate fashions online and in person. We are grateful to you for your ongoing support and care of our DHJC community.

Click here to share, care and give until it feels good to the DHJC annual High Holiday Caring Campaign (formerly known as the Kol Nidre Appeal).

It is with tremendous devotion, commitment and loyalty to one another and to Jewish values that are our constant beacon, that we have been able to thrive as a community in these turbulent pandemic times.  It is nearly breathtaking to consider the daily creativity, dedication and commitment of each of our professional staff and lay leadership that has ensured each successful endeavor and the blessings of the High Holy Days soon to be celebrated.

On behalf of our DHJC family, may we continue to be well and stay safe. May we together bless one another as we navigate through each challenge guided by our Torah and traditions. 

Wherever we stand, we stand united as a community. 

Shanah Tovah for a new and inspiring year of good health, sweet blessings and dynamic growth. 

Shalom,

Rabbi Howard Buechler
Elissa Regenbogen, DHJC President