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Release, Return, Renew — שְׁמִטָּה & תְּשׁוּבָה (shmita & teshuva)

We are holding so much: uncertainty, grief, yearning. The Days of Awe invite us to breathe and to release — to notice and let go of much of what we’ve been holding tight. We gather to fill our cups and regain our strength, returning to what grounds and sustains us as we journey together towards that which is coming into being.

We are entering the year of Shmita, the Year of Release. Every seventh year, our tradition calls us to release our control over the natural world, to let go of production and ownership, and to come back into right relationship with the land and with each other.

This High Holiday season, we answer the call from our ancestors, and from deep within ourselves, to release our fear and control, and turn towards justice, liberation, and interdependence.

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Register Here

High Holiday Service Schedule

Elul Programming

Accessibility Information

Frequently Asked Questions

About the Service Leaders

Registration Information

As we navigate this new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are excited about the new opportunities it brings. We joyfully anticipate the ways in which we will be able to gather in person again with safety precautions, and we are grateful for the ways that virtual services and programs will continue to keep us safe, and our community accessible.

For High Holidays this year, we are embracing a hybrid approach: Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur services will be held online, and they will be accompanied by outdoor, in-person Shofar and Tashlich services and school-age programming. There may need to be attendance caps for the in-person services - more details will be provided soon. Adult services, both virtual and in-person, will be led by Rabbi Joseph Berman and Batya Levine; tot services will be led by William Rivlin and Rabbi Joseph; and school-age programming will be led by NSP’s education director, Liora Ostroff.

Please see the sections below for our full services and programming schedule.

In addition to services, we are providing a variety of outdoor in-person & virtual offerings during the month of Elul and the Days of Awe. Read on to learn more! More details for Sukkot and Simchat Torah offerings will be coming soon.

We are once again keeping our core High Holiday programs free of charge to be as financially accessible as possible. We ask those who are able to support our programming by making a sliding scale donation. NSP is a volunteer-driven, non-profit organization and we sincerely appreciate any resources that you are able to share with our community.

Our services and programming are open to everyone, but advance registration is required.

Accessibility Information:

We are committed to making High Holidays accessible and inclusive for all who wish to attend. For details on how we are planning to meet our community's access needs, please click here.

High Holiday Services

Our services and programming are open to everyone, but advance registration is required. Register Here. To view all High Holiday services, click "More Events" on the bottom-left hand side.

Rosh Hashanah Adult Morning Service

Tues, Sept 7th

10:00 am

-

12:30 pm ET

Event Details

Rosh Hashanah Adult Morning Service

Tues, Sept 7th

Online Adult Morning Service

10:00 am

-

12:30 pm ET

Rosh Hashanah Children's Service

Tues, Sept 7th

9:30 am

-

10:30 am ET

Event Details

Rosh Hashanah Children's Service

Tues, Sept 7th

Online Children’s Service geared towards ages 1-5 and fun for all

9:30 am

-

10:30 am ET

Rosh Hashanah School-Age Kids' Program

Tues, Sept 7th

4:00 pm

-

5:00 pm ET

Event Details

Rosh Hashanah School-Age Kids' Program

Tues, Sept 7th

Outdoor, in-person School-Age Program geared towards K - 5th grade. Location will be emailed to registrants.

4:00 pm

-

5:00 pm ET

Shofar Service

Wed, Sept 8th

9:30 am, 10:30am , & 11:30 am

Event Details

Shofar Service

Wed, Sept 8th

Outdoor, in-person Shofar Service with Rabbi Joseph and Batya Levine. Happening at 9:30 am, 10:30 am, & 11:30 am. Location will be emailed t...

Event Details

9:30 am, 10:30am , & 11:30 am

Tashlich Ritual

Sun, Sept 12th

10:30 am, 11:30 am, & 12:30 pm

Event Details

Tashlich Ritual

Sun, Sept 12th

Outdoor, in-person Tashlich Ritual, led by Rabbi Joseph and Batya Levine. Happening at 10:30 am, 11:30 am, and 12:30 pm. Location will be em...

Event Details

10:30 am, 11:30 am, & 12:30 pm

More Events

Additional Offerings

High Holiday Zine

NSP is creating a High Holiday zine, or booklet, to help guide home-based spiritual practice that prompts reflection and creates opportunities to be drawn deeper in. We are planning on mailing these out to all NSP members.

NSP Playlists

The NSP Singing Team is preparing musical playlists for you to listen and sing along to during Elul and the Days of Awe. Check here for new playlists in the coming days and weeks:

Begin the journey of release, return, and renewal with our Elul playlist: Letting Go, Letting In | Elul 5781

Volunteer Opportunities

NSP is a volunteer-driven community. Like with all our other services and programs throughout the year, participation from our community will help make our 2021 High Holiday and Elul programming run smoothly. If you are interested in volunteering for any of our services or programming, please indicate when you register or email highholidays@newsynagogueproject.org.

About Rabbi Joseph & Batya Levine

Adult person with beard and yarmulke, holding a protest sign and blowing a shofar outside in a crowd

Rabbi Joseph Berman

Rabbi Joseph Berman is the rabbi of the New Synagogue Project. Rabbi Joseph grew up outside Kansas City and received his Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University in Connecticut. A Wexner graduate fellow, Rabbi Joseph was ordained in 2010 by the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College, an unaffiliated and pluralistic seminary in Boston. Following ordination, he served for five years as the Rabbi of Temple B’nai Israel in Revere, Massachusetts. He has also worked as a farmer, chaplain, community organizer, and advocate for justice and equality for Palestinians and Israelis. He is the co-founder of Ruach Guild, a skill development and support group for activists who provide spiritual care to social justice movements and organizations. He is passionate about joyful Jewish observance, gardening, ultimate frisbee, and the power of community to create both personal and societal transformation.

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Adult person with hair tied up and earrings, smiling candidly, looking off to the right.

Batya Levine

Rabbi Joseph Berman

Batya Levine uses song as a tool for cultivating healing and resilience in her work as a communal song leader, musician, shaliach tzibur (Jewish prayer leader) and cultural organizer. She believes in the liberatory power of song to untie what is bound within us, and sustain us as we build a more just and beautiful world. Batya is a founding core team member of Let My People Sing! and is a Cultural Organizer with Linke Fligl. She offers song, ritual, and workshops in a variety of communities, and composes original music made of Ashkenazi yearning, queer heart-medicine, and emunah (faith/trust). Batya recently released her first album, Karov. Learn more at www.batyalevine.com

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High Holidays 5782/2021

Release, Return, Renew — שְׁמִטָּה & תְּשׁוּבָה (shmita & teshuva)

Quick Links

Registration Information

High Holiday Services

Rosh Hashanah Adult Morning Service

Tues, Sept 7th

10:00 am

-

12:30 pm ET

Rosh Hashanah Adult Morning Service

Tues, Sept 7th

10:00 am

-

12:30 pm ET

Rosh Hashanah Children's Service

Tues, Sept 7th

9:30 am

-

10:30 am ET

Rosh Hashanah Children's Service

Tues, Sept 7th

9:30 am

-

10:30 am ET

Rosh Hashanah School-Age Kids' Program

Tues, Sept 7th

4:00 pm

-

5:00 pm ET

Rosh Hashanah School-Age Kids' Program

Tues, Sept 7th

4:00 pm

-

5:00 pm ET

Shofar Service

Wed, Sept 8th

9:30 am, 10:30am , & 11:30 am

Shofar Service

Wed, Sept 8th

9:30 am, 10:30am , & 11:30 am

Tashlich Ritual

Sun, Sept 12th

10:30 am, 11:30 am, & 12:30 pm

Tashlich Ritual

Sun, Sept 12th

10:30 am, 11:30 am, & 12:30 pm

Elul Programming

Additional Offerings

High Holiday Zine

NSP Playlists

Volunteer Opportunities

About Rabbi Joseph & Batya Levine

Rabbi Joseph Berman

Rabbi Joseph Berman

Rabbi Joseph Berman

Batya Levine

Rabbi Joseph Berman

Rabbi Joseph Berman

Banner art by Etai Rogers-Fett & Naomi Weintraub

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