Other Holiday Services

Sukkot

A few days prior to Sukkot, members of the congregation come together to build a Sukkah at the Temple. It is a wonderful time to be with friends, meet new people and to perform the mitzvah of building the Sukkah. Our religious school students make and hang their own decorations for the Sukkah. We gather in the Sukkah at the conclusion of Sukkot services to wave the lulav and etrog together.

We conclude Sukkot with a festival morning service which include Yizkor on Shemini Atzeret, the eighth day of Sukkot and then we turn to the commemoration of Simchat Torah.

Simchat Torah

A truly uplifting and happy celebration. As we mark the conclusion and the immediate resumption of the yearly reading of the Torah, we consecrate our new religious school students and invite our new members to march around the sanctuary with the Torah scrolls as a klezmer band plays upbeat music. We unroll one scroll in its entirety and read the last verses of Deuteronomy and the first words of Genesis. It is a powerful, moving and just plain fun service.

Chanukah

As the dark of winter descends, we celebrate Chanukah with a Chanukah family service. We invite everyone to bring their own menorah from home and to light it at the beginning of the service. All the lit menorahs make for a beautiful and inspiring atmosphere as we sing Chanukah songs and prayers and conclude with a delicious Oneg Shabbat.

Purim

The fun continues a few months later with Purim. On a selected day before Purim, we have a Megillah reading and a dinner. On the Sunday closest to Purim, we begin the day with a short child-friendly Megillah reading and costume parade, followed by a great Purim Carnival, featuring delicious food and fun games.

Passover

Our Congregational Passover Seder, held on the second night of Passover, is always well attended. We use a family friendly Haggadah that participants are asked to share in the reading of and enjoy a delicious Passover meal. People of all ages have a great time.

At the conclusion of Passover we have a 10:00 AM Festival Service which includes a Yizkor service.

Shavuot

The third of the festival holidays, Shavuot celebrates the receiving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. A special custom of our community is to gather with our neighboring congregations in worship and study, often going into the early hours of the morning. We invite guest teachers of renown to share words of Torah, and our own clergy participate as teachers, too. The Shavuot morning service includes Yizkor, a time for remembering our departed, the reading of the 10 Commandments, and the reading of the Book of Ruth.