To contact our clergy study, please call 212-508-3000.
Dear Congregants,
I hope that you are enjoying these last few weeks of summer. The High Holy Days joyfully arrive in the fall but generally not as quickly on the heels of Labor Day weekend as they do this year.
I want to make you aware of the following information.
Rosh HaShanah begins Wednesday, September 8. A full schedule of services including our S’lichot evening study session on Saturday, September 4, is available at http://www.centralsynagogue.org/hhd2010.
Your tickets will be mailed to you the week of August 23.
Guest Tickets & Seat Release
Today is the deadline to submit your High Holy Days guest ticket requests and notify us about any seats you will not be using over Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. These forms can be filled out online at http://www.centralsynagogue.org/hhd2010.
Attendance at Services
We look forward to seeing you at all of our High Holy Days services. Your presence is an important part of the worship experience. Likewise, empty seats or late arrivals impact the demeanor of services. Therefore we implore you to arrive on time for services. Also, for the purpose of filling all seats this year, the holding of seats for others will not be permitted once the service has begun. The ushers have been instructed to fill all empty seats at the start of services. If you know that you will not be with us at certain services please speak with Membership Coordinator .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or Assistant Director .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) at (212) 838-5122 x2000 as soon as possible. This will allow us to have other members of the congregation attend.
Memory Book
It is our tradition to remember the departed in a Memory Book, which is printed each year before the High Holy Days. This Friday, August 13, is the deadline for inclusion. Please contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) at (212) 838-5122 x2002 if you have not already mailed back your card.
Changes to the Yom Kippur Afternoon Service
As I shared with you in an April e-mail, there will be some significant changes to this year’s Yom Kippur liturgy, designed to deepen our experience of the Holy Days.
First, we believe that while there has been great meaning for those who wish to reflect in front of the Torah on Yom Kippur afternoon, it is not helpful to interrupt the service to do so. The liturgy we will use this year will invite people to have time in front of the Torah while the service continues.
Second, we are inviting congregants to submit anonymously in writing personal sins and wrongdoing of which you are aware and are on your mind. We will include some of these written offerings in the Al Cheit prayer to further personalize the experience. Beginning at Shabbat services on August 20 and also included with your tickets, you will have the opportunity to participate anonymously.
We hope that you will find these liturgical adjustments meaningful.
Food Drive with City Harvest
Our annual food drive will continue through Sukkot. We hope that you will participate in this harvest festival by bringing non-perishable items to Stern Lobby through Wednesday, September 29. You may also choose to make a donation to our Breakfast Program, which feeds hundreds of hungry New Yorkers every week. You can make this donation online at http://www.centralsynagogue.org/donate.
Location of Shabbat Services
Shabbat summer services will return to the Main Sanctuary next week, Friday, August 20. Friday evening services begin at 6:00pm. Saturday morning services are held at 9:30am. This week (August 13 and 14) as they have been throughout the summer, Friday evening Shabbat services will be held in the Pavilion and Saturday morning services will be held in Room 903 of the Community House. All Shabbat services are live streamed on our Web site: http://www.centralsynagogue.org and broadcast via our call-in service: 1-888-758-7870, pass code 599-2969.
Save the Date for Shofar Shabbat: October 8
This year, Central Synagogue will present its annual Shofar Award to Pulitzer Prize-winning Playwright Tony Kushner. Please join us on Friday, October 8 at 6:00pm in the Main Sanctuary for an uplifting Shabbat service and thought-provoking discussion.
Wishing you a wonderful summer,
Rabbi Peter J. Rubinstein
