High Holy Days

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Welcome to the High Holy Days at Kol Ami. We are so excited to see you and energized by the opportunity that these holidays give all of us to reflect and renew. This is our moment to continue building community, deepening our relationships, and expanding our experience.

Saturday, Sept 9, Rubin Family Sanctuary

7:30 pm Study Session Followed by Havdalah & Dessert

9:00 pm Changing of the Torah Mantles & S’lichot Service

The month of Elul culminates with S’lichot (forgiveness) services, when we gather to recite special prayers of penitence that include beautiful Hebrew poetry. This moving service urges us to reflect on the year that is ending. Cantor Cohen and Erev Cantor Bollt will introduce the haunting melodies of the High Holy Days as we utter our first confession of the season. This experience will also include learning with Rabbi Cohen for new year's inspiration.

S’lichot

Kever Avot

Sunday, Sept 10, Shaarei Shalom, Evergreen, and Nogales Cemeteries

1:00 pm Erev Cantor Bollt at Shaarei Shalom

1:00 pm Rabbi Cohen and Cantor Cohen at Evergreen Chapel

4:00 pm Cantorial Soloist Emerita Hochberg at Nogales

These services are designed for us to reconnect with loved ones at the various Kol Ami cemetery sites at this important time of year leading up to Rosh Hashanah. For those whose loved ones are buried away from Tucson, these services still provide an opportunity to memorialize them.

Rosh Hashanah

Erev Rosh Hashanah

Friday, Sept. 15, 7:30-9:30 pm in Rubin Family Sanctuary

Led by Rabbi Cohen, Cantor Cohen, Erev Cantor Bollt, and the Kol Ami Adult Choir.

Family Service

Saturday, Sept 16, 9:30-10:30 am in Weiner Religious School Auditorium

Rabbi Cohen, Cantor Cohen, and Rabbi Price will lead this service for 3rd-8th graders. Adult family members are welcome to join as the clergy tackle the holiday humorously and dynamically. Supervised activities and snacks will be available after this service so adults can join the main service.

Tot Service

Saturday, Sept 16, 8:45-9:30 am in Schlanger Chapel

Rabbi Cohen and Cantor Cohen will lead songs and stories for children aged birth through 2nd grade and their accompanying adults. Childcare in Strauss ECE will be available after this service until 1pm so the adults can join the main service.

Main Services

Saturday, Sept 16, 10 am-12:45 pm in Rubin Family Sanctuary

Led by Rabbi Cohen, Cantor Cohen, Erev Cantor Bollt, and the Kol Ami Adult Choir. This service includes a special Torah reading and the sounding of the shofar.

Tashlich

Saturday, Sept 16, 6:30pm at Ft. Lowell Park Ramada #3

Cast your sins symbolically on the water as we gather in Ft Lowell Park Ramada #3 for this informal service for all ages. Bring a picnic dinner!

Kol Nidre

Sunday, Sept 24, 7:30 pm in the Rubin Family Sanctuary

Led by Rabbi Cohen, Cantor Cohen, Erev Bollt, and the Kol Ami Choir. This beautifully solemn service opens Yom Kippur with the central Kol Nidre prayer, showing remorse for unfulfilled promises over the past year.

Yom Kippur

Tot Service

Monday, Sept 25, 8:45-9:30 am in Schlanger Chapel

Rabbi Cohen and Cantor Cohen will lead songs and stories for children aged birth through 2nd grade and their accompanying adults. Childcare in Strauss ECE will be available after this service until 1pm so the adults can join the main service.

Family Service

Monday, Sept 25, 9:30-10:30 am in Weiner Religious School Auditorium

Rabbi Cohen, Cantor Cohen, and Rabbi Price will lead this service for 3rd-8th graders. Adult family members are welcome to join as the clergy wrestle with the concepts of forgiveness and atonement. Supervised activities and snacks will be available after this service so adults can join the main service.

Main Morning Services

Monday, Sept 25, 10:00 am-12:45 pm in Rubin Family Sanctuary

Led by Rabbi Cohen, Cantor Cohen, Erev Cantor Bollt, and the Kol Ami Adult Choir. This service includes a special Torah reading and an opportunity for reflection on past mistakes and aspirations for the coming year.

Humans of Kol Ami

Monday, Sept 25, 1:15-2:15 pm in Schlanger Chapel

Join congregants as they tell stories from their life on a theme. You will have the opportunity to ask the storytellers questions and discuss your own experiences as they connect to the theme. The Humans of Kol Ami project includes different ways of building empathy and cohesion between congregants by sharing elements of their life story.

Music Program

Monday

We are very sorry to have to cancel this program.

Afternoon Main Service

Monday, Sept 25, 3-4:45 pm in Rubin Family Sanctuary

The main pillars of this meaningful service are the reading of the Leviticus Holiness Code, a dramatic interaction with the Jonah story, and a focus on one of the martyrs of our tradition.

Yizkor and Ne’ilah

Monday, Sept 25, 5-6:30 pm in Rubin Family Sanctuary

Join us for the poignant Yizkor (memorial) service which allows us to connect with our departed loved ones through prayer, song, and poetry. Immediately following is our Ne’ilah (closing) service, as we offer final penitential prayers before the Gates of Repentance ‘close.’

Break Fast Meal

Monday, Sept 25, 6:30 pm in Weiner Religious School Auditorium

Break the Fast with us. A light nosh including bagels, lox schmear, tuna/egg salad, and more!

FAQs

We have many answers to your High Holy Day questions categorized for easy viewing. If you have a question that is not covered please contact us and we would be happy to help.

Phone: 520-327-4501

Email: kolami@katucson.org

Contact Form

  • There is no fee for members.

    We would love to have everyone join us for services! For non-members we ask for a donation of $180 per seat, which will cover all services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

    No one will be turned away because of financial need. If you need financial assistance please email our interim executive director execdir@katucson.org

    You can register HERE.

  • Tot services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur will be held from 8:45– 9:30 am in the Schlanger Chapel. This program will only be available in person and is designed for children up to second grade age.

    Family services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur will be held from 9:30-10:30 am in the Weiner Religious School Auditorium. This service is designed for children in third-seventh grade. Adults are welcome to accompany their young family members.

  • Main services are for adults and young adults past b’nei mitzvah age (age 13). For younger children, childcare is available at ECE and activities in Religious School (see below).

    For children newborn to five years old there will be childcare available in the Strauss ECE. Pre-registration is required and can be found HERE.

    For children religious school age there will be activities during the main service in the Weiner Religious School Auditorium.

  • Childcare is available for children newborn to second grade from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Main Services. You must pre-register for childcare on the registration page.

    Children who are religious school age can go to the Weiner Religious School Auditorium for activities and snacks following the Family Services. For Rosh Hashanah, children will be brought back to their parents toward the end of the Main Service. For Yom Kippur, parents will pick up their children from the auditorium after the Main Services.

  • Children in third through seventh grade are welcome to join activities and snacks in the Weiner Religious School Auditorium after the Family Service. Children will be brought back to their parents in the sanctuary for the Rosh Hashanah Main service. Parents will need to pick up their children from the auditorium after Yom Kippur Main services (12:45).

  • There will be three entrances/exits (not including exits for emergencies) for all services in the Rubin Family Sanctuary.

    We will use the North (solar panel covered parking lot), West (Bentley Ave), and the East (Country Club) doors. Security guards will be conducting bag checks before you enter the building.

    Please be prepared with your bag open and your photo ID. We appreciate your patience.

    As to not disrupt worship, once services begin in the Rubin Family Sanctuary, only the West and East entrance will be open. The South entrance will be open for the Tot and Family services and childcare.

  • The Sanctuary is a place of prayer and meditation; we ask you to respect the mood of spirituality at all times. Please refrain from conversation during worship services, turn off cell phones, and all other electronic devices.

    For your health:

    There is a section of the sanctuary that is reserved for people who are wearing masks to protect themselves. Please respect the section and those of our community who are taking precautions.

    If you are pregnant, Jewish law requires that you eat or drink.

    If you bring something to drink to services, and need to drink something during the day, please respect others around you, and drink outside the sanctuary.

    If there is medication you need to be taking daily, you should take it.

    If fasting in any way threatens your health, you are required to eat and drink.

  • If you are attending in person, we invite you to bring the following: government issued photo ID, your kippah, and tallit. A mask is optional. Don’t forget security will be conducting bag checks. Please be prepared at entrances.

  • According to the Union for Reform Judaism guidelines, members in good standing at one synagogue may attend services at another URJ congregation at no charge. If you will be out of town for the High Holy Days, please contact the office to arrange for reciprocity.

  • All Rubin Family Sanctuary services will be available virtually via Zoom for members and live stream at Facebook Live or YouTube.

    All Kol Ami members will automatically receive Zoom and live stream links in our member weekly email newsletter.

    Friends, family, and those who are not affiliated can view our live stream at Facebook or YouTube. For notification of when we go live, please like us on Facebook or subscribe to our YouTube channel.

    Prayerbooks:

    Physical prayerbooks will be available to those attending in person. We are currently unable to offer a digital version of the Mishkan Ha-Nefesh prayerbooks. The Judaica Shop at Kol Ami has a limited number of copies available for sale. If you would like to borrow the books from Kol Ami, please bring a refundable $40 check to the office. After the books are returned, the check will be returned to you or shredded. Books must be returned by Wed, Oct 4.

  • The Book of Remembrance can be viewed and names can be added here.

  • Would you like to volunteer in our High Holy Days services? This opportunity is only available for Kol Ami members. Due to limited spaces, volunteering does not guarantee a part in the services. Please fill out the form.