Dear Friends,

The High Holy Days provide for us all an annual invitation to gather together in the warmth of our community to celebrate Jewish life with spirit, study, and song. They also serve for us as an opportunity to reconnect with our community if we've become more distant and to repair and even restart aspects of our lives that have grown challenging or even difficult. The range of experience, from celebration to solemn contemplation, is grounded in a fundamental Jewish theme that is at the heart of the most unique commitment and message of our heritage: We champion life. We celebrate life's joys while we seek to enhance and deepen our existence. We sing uplifting music and read inspirational poetry while we contemplate that which confronts us to gain greater personal awareness and understanding toward our betterment and growth as human beings. As Jews, we understand life to be so precious that no moment ought to pass absent of both life’s celebration and improvement. The High Holy Days are intended to refocus us upon our ultimate value as human beings and our unique role in the world as Jews.

While each of us pursues the more personal joys and challenges of the upcoming High Holy Days, we should note the privilege and extraordinary blessing that we enjoy as Jews living where and when we do so in history. If we consider the plight of approximately 8,000 of our brothers and sisters in Ethiopia who await still their journey to freedom in Israel, the roughly 25,000 Jews still in Iran who are not free to leave a country that states openly its desire to destroy Israel, and the many elderly Jews still remaining in the former Soviet Union, our blessings should be readily apparent to each of us.

With freedom and security comes the opportunity to participate meaningfully in our heritage, free of the concerns and threats that inhibit many of our brothers and sisters from doing so elsewhere in the world. Our Ner Tamid family has always understood that different people will find their personal meaning in different spiritual or cultural Jewish expressions. Our points of entry and spheres of experience are as diverse on the High Holy Days as they are year-round. Please take the time to read through the material enclosed in this packet. Determine which experiences are right for you and your family for this year. Enjoy the sweet and soulful tones of our Cantor and Choir, and/or RSVP for our community's annual Break-The-Fast! Wherever you find that you belong in our tent, your presence is far more than welcome; your participation, in whatever manner feels right for you, is vital to the wholeness and richness of communal life here at Ner Tamid.

Personally and on behalf of our superb staff and the many talented and committed volunteers who are working diligently alongside them to ensure the high-quality of this year's High Holy Days Services and programming, I extend to you and to all of yours blessings for a New Year of Peace, Health, and Fulfillment.

I look forward to sharing with you in the joyous and contemplative spirit of our upcoming High Holy Days.

L'Shanah Tovah -- To a New Year of all that is good!

Rabbi Isaac Jeret
Spiritual Leader

Can We Still Pray by Rabbi Isaac Jeret

At Congregation Ner Tamid we look forward to welcoming together the new Jewish year as a community. During these High Holy Days, may we share together in prayer and study, in the warmth of friendship and comfort of fellowship, and in the meaningful and joyous celebration of our lives.

The High Holy Days are a time of new beginnings and renewal. Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) are days of celebration, family reunion, communal gathering, and personal reflection. We also reconnect to our Jewish community and to the Jewish People.

On the High Holy Days, we experience annually our largest gathering of people in synagogue for prayer, study, and visiting together. In this way, communal observance of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur represents the centrality and relevance of Jewish spirituality and Jewish values.

During these "Days of Awe," each of us is given the opportunity to evaluate the direction of our lives and reflect upon the convictions of our hearts and minds. We are encouraged to discover anew God's presence in our world. We look forward to the sounds of the Shofar and the impact of tradition and ritual as we greet the New Year and seek blessing together.

Our High Holy Days Worship Services include Hebrew chant and “davening,” personal prayer and reflection, English readings, congregational participation, and spiritually uplifting melodies. Our Services are led by our spiritual leader, Rabbi Isaac Jeret with Cantor Samuel Radwine. At some Services our synagogue ’s choir and musical accompaniment enhance our prayer experience. Our Services also include Rabbi Jeret ’s introductory and motivational explanations and his messages for the High Holy Days.

As our congregation continues to grow in size, we remain committed to maintaining our intimate and comfortable worship environment. Our congregation is diverse, with people coming from a wide range of backgrounds. We hope to provide a compelling way for each of us to celebrate with one another at this sacred time.

L’Shanah Tovah!

May the coming New Year be one of Blessing, Fulfillment, and Peace!

Information about the High Holy Days at CNT

ATTENDANCE

At Congregation Ner Tamid all synagogue members and their children are welcome to join in Services for the High Holy Days. Visiting relatives and guests of our synagogue’s members are expected to make reservations with the synagogue office prior to the High Holy Days. We request a $125 contribution per person for each reservation. Individuals and families who are not synagogue members are encouraged to join our congregation’s membership and to take advantage of our introductory Voluntary Dues Program for new members, for their first year of membership.

MAHZORIM

During High Holy Day Services we use the “Silverman High Holiday Prayer Book.” If you do not own them, these Mahzorim are available from our synagogue office for $26.

YOUTH SERVICES

Youth Services and activities will be available on each day for children from the ages of 2 to 5 years of age and for students from Kindergarten through 8th grade while Services are conducted in the sanctuary. These programs are staffed by our Preschool, Religious School and Youth Departments. Our Youth Department will sponsor High Holy Day activities for our 6th - 8th grade students, as well.

MEMORIAL BOOK

On Yom Kippur we remember those who, during their lifetimes, deeply touched our lives. We will recall them with affection when we recite our Yizkor Memorial Prayers. To honor the names of our beloved departed we will create a Memorial Book containing their names.

HIGH HOLY DAYS VOLUNTEERS

Many members of our congregation make a meaningful contribution to our High Holy Days Services by taking a shift as an Usher/Greeter. Ushers/Greeters help to create a warm ambience, to maximize the flow of people in and out of doorways, and to monitor the crowding in the hallways. It is a very helpful and necessary role that creates a comfortable and welcoming environment for all of us during the High Holy Days.

RITUAL HONORS

During Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we take pride in honoring those members of our synagogue community who take an active part in the Services, programs, and organizational efforts of our congregation.   Honors include an Aliyah to the Torah (reciting the prayer before and after the Torah is read), reading from the Torah or chanting the Haftarah, and assisting in the Torah Service by following the reading as a Gabbai or by carrying, lifting (Hagbah), or covering (Gelilah) the Torah Scroll. Honors also include opening the Ark during Services. If there is someone in our congregation who has touched your life in the past year, or whom you believe worthy of ritual honor during the High Holy Days, our Ritual Committee would appreciate your recommendation.

Congregation Ner Tamid’s ‘Break The Fast’

Join with others in the CNT community to break the fast!

Saturday, October 8th, immediately following Neilah. The fast concludes at 7:40 p.m. at Ner Tamid.

$20 per Adult (Members)
$25 per Adult (Non-Members)
Children 12 and under are free!

Please RSVP with payment to CNT by Monday, October 3rd.

For any questions you may have, please call Jackie at (310)377-6986 x221.