Those who are used to traffic jams, remote parking and large crowds for the High Holy Days may have a sense of withdrawal this year, as most...
Those who are used to traffic jams, remote parking and large crowds for the High Holy Days may have a sense of withdrawal this year, as most congregations in the region will have Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services online because of the restrictions on gatherings due to coronavirus.
Even congregations that will have in-person options are instituting strict limits on the number who can attend in person — generally 50 or fewer.
As Rabbi Daniel Sherman of Temple Sinai in New Orleans said, “this is no one’s first choice, but it is the right choice for this year.”
Every congregation doing in-person services will require social distancing, no socializing, wearing masks, bringing personal items such as books, tallesim or kipot, temperature checks, and a recommendation that older members not attend in person. Also, anyone feeling even slightly under the weather should not show up.
The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, which provides rabbinic services and programming to communities in a 13-state region, will produce High Holy Days streaming services. The tentative schedule is for Rosh Hashanah at 7 p.m. on Sept. 18, 10 a.m. on Sept. 19. On Yom Kippur, Kol Nidre will be at 7 p.m. on Sept. 27, then services at 10 a.m. on Sept. 28, a prerecorded Yizkor service at noon, a live Yizkor at 4:15 p.m., and concluding service at 5 p.m. The services will use “Gates of Repentance.” Registration is required to receive login information.
This list will be updated as more congregations release their information.
Alabama
The congregations involved in the joint Alabama Havdalah each week — Agudath Israel-Etz Ahayem in Montgomery, Emanu-El in Dothan, Beth Shalom in Auburn and Ahavas Chesed in Mobile, will have a Selichot service on Zoom, following the 7:30 p.m. Havdalah on Sept. 12.
Temple Beth-El in Anniston announced that all High Holy Day services would be cancelled.
Beth Shalom in Auburn will have virtual services led by Rabbi Arturo Kalfus and his wife, Phyllis Meyers. Rosh Hashanah services will be 7 p.m. on Sept. 18. Times for Sept. 19 and 20 have not been announced. Kol Nidre will be Sept. 27 at 7 p.m., and likely at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Sept. 28.
Birmingham’s Temple Beth-El will not have in-person services, but will have a meditative Prayer Walk for the mornings of the High Holy Days, with a pre-set course for masked and socially-distanced groups. Rather than just having a virtual service, Rabbi Stephen Slater said this would be an opportunity to see others in person for the first time in six months. A video stream of the program will be made available for those who cannot venture out.
The walk will include stations along the course where certain prayers or reflections will be done. A portable ark will be brought to the course and the Torah reading will be broadcast.
The paths will be about an hour in length, and on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, several pastors and leaders in the Black community have been invited to take part.
The walks will be held on both mornings of Rosh Hashanah and on Yom Kippur. Reservations are required, and the location will be given when reservations are made. Evening services will be done over YouTube and Facebook.
Beth-El’s services will be Sept. 18 at 6 p.m., then the walking services will be from 9 to 11 a.m. on Sept. 19 and 20. Tashlich will be set up during the Sept. 19 service. A virtual garden service will be online at 9:30 a.m. Online afternoon services will be 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 19, and 7:40 p.m. for Havdalah on Sept. 20. In-person Tashlich will be at Avondale Park on Sept. 20 at 5 p.m. On Yom Kippur, Kol Nidre will stream from the sanctuary at 6 p.m. on Sept. 27. The outdoor walking service will be from 9 to 11 a.m., with a virtual service at 9:30 a.m. Afternoon services will begin at 5:45 p.m. Before the first Rosh Hashanah evening service and Kol Nidre, a Zoom “Hallway Channel” will be open for meeting virtually.
For those unable to attend the walks, there will be a drive-by Shanah Tovah in the Beth-El parking lot on Sept. 17 from 4 to 6 p.m.
Beit Ariel Chabad in Birmingham is planning outdoor services for the High Holy Days, under a tent. All participants will be required to wear masks, and there will be social distancing between individuals or families.
Birmingham’s Temple Emanu-El will not have in-person High Holy Day, Sukkot or Simchat Torah services this year. Rabbi Adam Wright and Emanu-El President Robert Berman said the congregation will conduct focus groups and surveys to ensure that the worship experience will complement spiritualty and Jewish ethos.
At Dothan’s Temple Emanu-El, Zoom services continue but as of Aug. 7, an in-person option for those willing to take the risk was available, with social distancing. The Shabbat services were being used “to work out the kinks” enabling in-person options for the High Holy Days.
B’nai Israel in Florence will have virtual services “for the health and safety of everyone,” said Rabbi Nancy Tunick. She will broadcast from the B’nai Israel sanctuary rather than her home in Nashville, “to bring everyone a service that feels closer to what we typically experience during the High Holidays.” Services will be on Facebook Live and the web link, along with some Zoom breakout rooms to socialize. There will also be opportunities to participate in readings during the live broadcast.
Etz Chayim in Huntsville will have mostly virtual services, with members picking up books and New Year booklets on Sept. 13. Virtual services will be held on Sept. 18 at 7:15 p.m., Sept. 19 at 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sept. 20 at 10 a.m. There will be an in-person Tashlich and shofar blowing at Aldridge Creek at Weatherly at 4 p.m. Yom Kippur services will be virtual, Sept. 27 at 6:15 p.m., and Sept. 28 at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. A masked sukkah build will be held on Sept. 30 at 2 p.m.
Temple B’nai Sholom in Huntsville announced that “it is most prudent to worship virtually” rather than have High Holy Day services in the sanctuary. The congregation has contracted with Cantor Ted Labow, who is working with Rabbi Berk on planning the services. The congregation is working on procedures to provide “loaner” copies of the High Holy Days prayerbook, and has links to discounted physical copies and Kindle editions that congregants can purchase.
B’nai Sholom members were asked to submit a Shana Tovah family video of 5 to 8 seconds for a montage that will be played during the Zoom service.
Ahavas Chesed in Mobile will hold services over YouTube, at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 18, and 10 a.m. on Sept. 19 and 20. Kever Avot will be on Zoom, Sept. 27 at 12:30 p.m. Yom Kippur starts online at 6:30 p.m., then continues on YouTube at 10 a.m. on Sept. 28, with a combined healing and Torah service with Agudath Israel in Montgomery on Zoom at 4:30 p.m. The afternoon service will be on YouTube at 5:30 p.m.
Rabbi Natan Trief, formerly of Beth Shalom in Baton Rouge, will lead virtual High Holy Day services for Springhill Avenue Temple in Mobile. The service will be broadcast from the Springhill Avenue sanctuary for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, while the intermediate Shabbat will be led from his home in Atlanta.
Agudath Israel-Etz Ahayem in Montgomery will be holding its services online. On Yom Kippur afternoon, Sept. 28 at 4:30 p.m., there will be a Zoom joint healing service and Torah reading with Ahavas Chesed in Mobile.
Tuscaloosa’s Temple Emanu-El announced it will not have in-person High Holy Day services, “in the best interest for the safety and health of our temple family.” Virtual services will be held via Zoom and on the congregation’s private Facebook page.
Florida Panhandle
Chabad of the Emerald Coast in Destin will hold the traditional Rosh Hashanah service for a smaller group than usual, and then there will be an outdoor shofar ceremony with individually-packaged traditional Rosh Hashanah foods, Sept. 20 at 2:30 p.m.
Beth Shalom in Fort Walton Beach will hold services in person and on Zoom. All those planning to attend in person must sign up online. There is a maximum of 50 allowed in the building for each service, and each service is a separate request. Masks are mandatory, anyone who does not arrive with one will have to leave. The in-person slots will be for members, though on Sept. 11 any remaining slots will be available for non-members. Prayer books will be lent to members, with pickups from Sept. 14 to 16 and returns from Sept. 29 to Oct. 1. There will be a sign-up sheet for those borrowing books. Rosh Hashanah Services will be held Sept. 18 at 8 p.m., Sept. 19 at 10 a.m., and Tashlich at AJ’s on the Bayou at 1 p.m. Yom Kippur services will be Sept. 27 at 8 p.m., and Sept. 28 at 10 a.m., 3:15 p.m., Yizkor at 4:20 p.m. and Ne’ilah at 5:15 p.m. There will be no communal break-the-fast.
B’nai Israel in Panama City will have services conducted by Rabbi Bruce Aft, as well as a student rabbi, and B’nai Israel’s cantorial soloist, Daniel Sternlicht. Virtual services will be conducted from within the Temple and several remote locations via Zoom conference link. The sanctuary will be open for a limited number of persons who express interest in advance about being onsite, with mask and social distancing requirements enforced.
After a survey of members, B’nai Israel in Pensacola will open for in-person services during the High Holy Days, with assistance from a new member who is a former CDC epidemiology surveillance officer. Thirty-nine signed up for in-person services in the 264-seat sanctuary, and guests will be limited to invited military and selected extended family.
For those attending, masks are required and there will be no handshakes or hugs. Seating will be arranged in advance. The Torah will remain on the bimah, those with aliyot will recite them from their seats. Services will be at 6:30 p.m. and 9 a.m. for Rosh Hashanah. Yom Kippur services will be at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 27, then 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Sept. 28. All services other than the High Holidays will remain on Zoom.
Temple Beth El in Pensacola will hold its services virtually, on the Beth El website and Facebook Live. A schmooze will be on Sept. 18 at 5 p.m. on Zoom. Services will be at 7 p.m. The morning service will be at 10 a.m. on Sept. 19. A discussion group will be on Zoom at 1:30 p.m., and an in-person family service and tashlich is planned for Bayview Park at 5:30 p.m.
Kol Nidre will be Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. The morning service will be at 10 a.m. on Sept. 28, followed by Zoom discussions on Avinu Malkeinu at 1 p.m. and the Book of Jonah at 2:30 p.m. An in-person Yizkor is planned at the Beth El cemetery at 4:15 p.m., which will also stream on the website and Facebook. Concluding services will be at 6 p.m.
Louisiana
Gemiluth Chassodim in Alexandria will broadcast “physically apart, spiritually connected” services over Zoom, and for two services will have a maximum in-person attendance of 30. The in-person services will be Rosh Hashanah eve, Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m., and Yom Kippur afternoon and Yizkor, Sept. 28 at 4:45 p.m. Those attending will be seated by family with seats already designated. Masks, temperature checks and social distancing will be required, and there will be no socializing.
Other services will be exclusively on Zoom, Sept. 19 at 10:30 a.m. for Rosh Hashanah, 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 27 for Kol Nidre, and 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 28 for Yom Kippur, with a 1:30 p.m. Torah study session. Additional services will be Shabbat Shuvah on Sept. 25, Sukkot on Oct. 2 and Simchat Torah on Oct. 9, all at 6 p.m. via Zoom.
B’nai Israel and Beth Shalom in Baton Rouge will have a joint Selichot service, Sept. 12 at 7:30 p.m. on Zoom.
B’nai Israel in Baton Rouge is planning to hold High Holy Day services virtually. Services will be at 7 p.m. on Sept. 18, followed by “coming together as community” at 8:15 p.m. On Sept. 19, B’nai Israel will host a youth service for both congregations at 8:45 a.m., followed by the morning service at 10 a.m. Tashlich will be Sept. 20 at 9 a.m. On Yom Kippur, Kol Nidre will be at 7 p.m. on Sept. 27. The 8:45 a.m. joint youth service on Sept. 28 will be hosted by Beth Shalom, followed by services at 10 a.m., the Book of Jonah with Rabbi Batsheva Appel at 1:30 p.m. afternoon service at 3 p.m., Yizkor at 4:30 p.m. and Neilah at 5:30 p.m.
Beth Shalom will have Rosh Hashanah evening services on Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. over livestream. The morning service will be livestreamed both days at 10 a.m., an on Sept. 20 there will be in-person Tashlich at 3 p.m. at United Plaza Lakes. Yom Kippur will be livestreamed at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 27. On Sept. 28, services will be at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. on livestream, and a 5:30 p.m. Yizkor on Zoom.
Beth Shalom is also offering 10-minute slots that can be reserved in the sanctuary for contemplation or meditation, seated or in front of the ark. Slots are on the half hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Aug. 25 to Sept. 15, and a few evening slots will be available. Advance signup is required.
With Hebrew Union College holding its fall classes entirely online, student rabbi visits will also be virtual. Temple Shalom in Lafayette is working out a virtual High Holy Day schedule with Student Rabbi Shirah Kraus.
B’nai Israel in Monroe started doing in-person services in mid-August, along with the virtual option. Reservations are required for those who want to attend in person, so social distancing precautions can be taken.
B’nai Zion in Shreveport is holding virtual services, and is working on other creative options. Times will be announced for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services.
At Agudath Achim in Shreveport, there will be in-person services as well as a livestream on the congregation’s website. The Rosh Hashanah evening service will be on Zoom, Sept. 18 at 6 p.m. Morning services are 10 a.m. both days, and there will be a family experience with Eliana Light at 2 p.m. on Zoom both days. Second night services are at 8 p.m. Sept. 19. Kol Nidre will be at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 27. Services on Sept. 28 will be at 10 a.m., 6 and 7 p.m., and a 2 p.m. family experience on Zoom.
New Orleans Area
Northshore Jewish Congregation in Mandeville will hold its services virtually. With Rabbi Linda Steigman and soloist Ellen Steigman. The schedule will be posted soon.
Shir Chadash in Metairie will stream its services for the first time ever, as a response to the pandemic and in coordination with rulings from the Conservative movement’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards.
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Shacharit services will be broadcast from an outdoor location, and the Torah and Musaf services will be broadcast from the sanctuary. A “holding minyan” of volunteers is being assembled in advance so there is an in-person minyan allowing for Torah reading and the repetition of the Amidah.
A shofar and Tashlich service will be broadcast from the levee on the second afternoon of Rosh Hashanah.
Selichot will be done over Zoom, and children’s services will also be livestreamed. Members will receive a High Holy Days gift bag with a machzor, Yizkor book and program book, and additional materials for families with children.
Yizkor will be held on Sunday morning over Zoom between the holidays.
Beth Israel in Metairie will hold in-person services with limited attendance, and services on Zoom and streaming where Halachically possible. Plans are for Yizkor to be on Sunday morning before Yom Kippur, Sept. 27 after the 8:30 a.m. minyan, and Kol Nidre at 4:30 p.m. so they can be broadcast. There will also be a pre-Rosh Hashanah Seder with apples, honey and a cooking activity at 4 p.m. on Sept. 18, on Zoom.
Members have been asked to submit a request form for in-person services, with the understanding that a request does not guarantee a seat. Children approaching Bar and Bat Mitzvah age need to get approval from Rabbi Pernick, younger children will not be admitted. Those 65 and older are not prohibited but are being discouraged from attending, due to health risks. In-person services are both evenings of Rosh Hashanah, along with morning and afternoon services. Yom Kippur in-person services are in the evening, morning, musaf, afternoon and concluding. There will be a kids’ tashlich on Sept. 20 around 2:30 p.m. by the levee.
Gates of Prayer in Metairie starts the season with a Selichot concert with Jordan Lawrence, Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. Reservations are required, and the concert will be livestreamed. All services will be available online, but there will be an in-person component with a maximum of 50 in attendance, for as many as five sessions per service, assuming Jefferson Parish is in Phase 2 or 3 — services will be online only in the event of Phase 1. The sanctuary wall will be removed so social distancing can go into the social hall. Social distancing and masking restrictions will be observed.
Reservations are required for all in-person services, which will last 40 minutes. Rosh Hashanah evening services will be on Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. If there is demand, additional services will be added at 6 p.m. and 4 p.m., then 8 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Sept. 19. Rosh Hashanah morning will be at 10:15 a.m. online, 11 a.m. in person. If there is demand, services will be added at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., then 11 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Sept. 20. Tashlich will be in person with Rabbi Bob Loewy at Bonnabel Boat Launch, Sept. 19 at 4 p.m. An in-person Yizkor and healing service will be Sept. 25 at 8 p.m., with additional services at 5 and 7 p.m., then 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Sept. 26.
Kol Nidre will be on Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. online, 7 p.m. in person. Additional services as needed would be at 8:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 10 p.m. and 4 p.m. Yom Kipur morning starts at 10:15 a.m. online, then 11 a.m. in person, with added services at 9 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Online services continue with Tikkun Midot Hanefesh on Sept. 28 at 1 p.m., a healing and Torah service at 3 p.m., then Yizkor and Neilah at 4:30 p.m.
At Touro Synagogue in New Orleans, major services will be broadcast on WLAE-TV and on the Touro Facebook page. There will also be Zoom sessions and a few small outdoor, in-person gatherings, with all of the in-person events requiring reservations on the Touro website.
Selichot services will be held in person, outdoors, by reservation. Services are Aug. 23 at 10 a.m., Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. and Sept. 7 at 10 a.m. The Sept. 1 service will also be livestreamed. On Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. there will be a brief Selichot for Racial Justice at Bowsky Garden. Attendance will be limited, and the service will be livestreamed.
Rosh Hashanah services will be on television and online, Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. and Sept. 19 at 10 a.m. There will be no in-person attendance. At 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., there will be Tashlich gatherings at City Park. Rain date is Sept. 20.
On Shabbat Shuvah, Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. on Zoom and Livestream, Prof. Jonathan Judken of Rhodes College will speak on “Judaism in the Age of Black Lives Matter.”
Yom Kippur services will be televised and online, Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. and Sept. 28 at 10 a.m., and the concluding service starting at 4 p.m. There will be several afternoon programs, including a “congregational voices” afternoon service at 3:15 p.m. on Zoom and Livestream. From 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., members can reserve a 20-minute block to sit in the sanctuary for personal reflection. There will be limited capacity, temperature screening and masks required, and seats will be used only once over the course of the afternoon.
Learning sessions on Zoom and Livestream start at 1 p.m. with “The Biblical Origins of Yom Kippur” with Jason Gaines, “Guilt, Shame and Self-Compassion: Creating a Path Toward Self-Forgiveness and Everyday Holiness” with Joseph Bodenmiller at 2 p.m., and at 3 p.m., “How People Change” with Kevin Wilkins.
Sukkot will be in person and Livestream on Oct. 2 at 6 p.m., and will also be a celebration of Rabbi Todd Silverman. An outdoor Simchat Torah will be Oct. 9 at 6 p.m., and an online Yizkor will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 10.
Though the sanctuary at Temple Sinai in New Orleans has been redone during the summer, there won’t be a huge High Holy Days reveal, as most of the services will be done online via livestream, Zoom and Facebook Live. Because of the size of the sanctuary, they will offer an in-person option for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur evening services, with limited seating and social distancing. There will be no choir, and those attending in person will need to sing more quietly than normal, but aside from that their goal is to have services “as comfortable and familiar as possible.”
Anshe Sfard in New Orleans will have in-person services on both mornings of Rosh Hashanah, at 9:30 a.m. There will be limited seating, by reservation. After members are taken care of, non-members will receive seats on a first-come, first-served basis. On Yom Kippur, the morning service will be inside, but there are plans in the works for Kol Nidre and Neilah outdoors.
Mississippi
B’nai Israel in Columbus will announce its service schedule soon.
In Gulfport, Beth Israel will have virtual services just before sunset, and in-person services during the holidays, with reservations available on the congregation’s website. A pre-holiday Zoom program will be at 5 p.m. on Sept. 18 and Sept. 27. For Rosh Hashanah, services will be at 7 p.m. on Sept. 18, with a light Kiddush to follow. The morning services will be on Sept. 19 and 20 at 10 a.m., with a light Kiddush to follow. On Sept. 20, there will be an early shofar service at 9 a.m. in the Jack Goldin Memorial Garden for those unable to attend services inside.
Kol Nidrei will be at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 27. Yom Kippur services will be at 10 a.m., with Yizkor at 11:30 a.m. Mincha and Neilah will start at 6 p.m. For those unable to attend, there will be an early morning Yizkor at 9 a.m., also in the garden.
There will be children’s programs and babysitting at all daytime services.
Beth Israel in Jackson was the first congregation in the region to definitively rule out in-person services. The June 24 announcement was made by the congregational board and Rabbi Joseph Rosen. “We will be sure to be diligent in seeing that our congregation will be well equipped to offer a quality spiritual opportunity,” Rosen said.
The Jewish Federation of Oxford will hold virtual services and programs with student rabbi Ezra Leventhal. A native of the San Francisco Bay area, Leventhal is a second year student at Hebrew Union College in New York, but currently distancing from Santa Rosa. The Zoom services will be on Rosh Hashanah evening, then the next morning. A children’s service will also be held. Yom Kippur services will include Kol Nidre, morning services and neilah, with an emphasis on readings. Service times have not yet been set.
