High Holidays 2022

We are delighted that you have chosen to spend the High Holidays with Congregation Shaarey Tikvah!

All services will be in-person AND livestreamed. Masks and distancing will be necessary.  Thank you for your compliance and understanding.

Please read the following information carefully. 


Tickets

“Tickets” this year will again be in the form of a nametag and must be shown to the police officer(s) for admittance to High Holy Day services. You will be given a lanyard for your nametag upon entry to services.  Please wear (or carry) your nametag at all times. This will make it easier for our security team to know who is in the building as well as to help create a more friendly and welcoming atmosphere for our non-Congregant visitors.  Please return the lanyard at your last High Holy Day service.

We request that you please take care of your (financial) community contribution to CST before the High Holy Days. Members who find themselves in a financial situation that does not enable them to do so or are unable to pay the community commitment reflected on your July 2022 statement, should call me at (216) 765-8300 ext. 101 as soon as possible to make other arrangements. Financial situations are handled in confidence and no one will be denied entry to High Holy Days or any religious service during the year due to the inability to pay.

Members receive High Holy Day tickets at no charge. They are included with their membership. Seats are not assigned.  Tickets are issued as part of synagogue security and are NOT transferable. 

High Holy Day tickets are available to non-members.  Ticket prices are as follows:

Members’ children thru age 30 No cost
College students (with valid ID) No cost
Members of the Armed Forces (with valid ID) No cost
Members in good standing from out-of-town synagogues (with confirmation letter) No cost
Non-members | Tishrei membership $180/adult or $90 each for Yom Kippur and $90 for Rosh Hashanah

Tishrei Membership for Non-Members

As we hope to show off our wonderful kehillah at more than just Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we encourage non-members to attend a Shabbat service, an educational program, and/or a Shabbat meal at someone’s home during the month of Tishrei. Please refer to the High Holidays Registration Form to purchase these tickets and to indicate if you would like someone to contact you to learn more about our array of Shaarey Tikvah community opportunities.

High Holiday Honors

In our ongoing effort to promote congregational participation throughout the High Holy Days, we encourage everyone, whether or not they are interested in having an honor, to please fill out the High Holidays Registration Form and return it to the office no later than September 8. We will make every effort to accommodate your request. This procedure has worked very well over the last several years, and has saved the committee a tremendous amount of time in trying to understand the priorities of the congregational membership. PLEASE COMPLETE THE FORM, even if you will not be attending services for some or all of the High Holy Days. Should you have any questions about this process, please feel free to contact either Ed Kneitel at 216.765.1955 or Diane Burgin at 216.921.4004.


Schedule of Services

All services will be in-person AND livestreamed. Please note that livestream and/or Zoom links will be available at least 3 days prior to each service or event.

Selichot

Rabbinical Assembly Selichot Night Live Saturday, September 17 8:00pm

Rosh Hashanah

Erev Rosh Hashanah Sunday, September 25 7:30pm
1st Day | Morning Services  Monday, September 26 8:30am
Tashlich at Ursuline College Monday, September 26 5:00pm
2nd Day | Morning Services Tuesday, September 27 8:30am
Shabbat Shuvah Saturday, October 1 9:00am

Yom Kippur

Kol Nidre Tuesday, October 4 6:45pm
Morning Services Wednesday, October 5 8:30am
Yizkor   12:30pm (approx.)
Mincha   5:00pm
Neilah   6:15pm (approx.)
Break Fast   7:45pm

Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret & Simchat Torah

Erev Sukkot Sunday, October 9 TBD
1st Day Sukkot | Morning Service Monday, October 10 9:00am
2nd Day Sukkot | Morning Service Tuesday, October 11 9:00am
Hashana Rabbah Sunday, October 16 9:00am
Shemini Atzeret | Morning Service & Yizkor Monday, October 17 9:00am
Simchat Torah Eve | OkTORAHfest – More details to follow Monday, October 17 5:30
Maariv   7:30pm
Hakafot   7:45pm
Simchat Torah Tuesday, October 18 9:00am

Security

We take the issue of synagogue security seriously. We want to ensure people’s safety within a comfortable environment. Recent events require us to be mindful of possible threats so we can act accordingly. As in past years, a security/police officer will be stationed at each of the two entrances to the building. Security ushers serve as an additional set of eyes. They assist our security professionals in identifying and greeting our members and guests. Unless there is an emergency, please do not enter or exit through any of the doors not serviced by a police officer.

Volunteer Security Ushers

A dedicated group of CST members volunteer their time to enable the congregation to come together in a safe and orderly environment. In the event of an emergency, please follow the instructions of the security ushers. We continue to have a need for adult volunteers to usher for the High Holy Day worship services. Please consider volunteering for this important work.  Various time slots are available. You are welcome to sign up for more than one shift.  Please refer to the High Holidays Registration Form to complete and return by September 8, 2022.  You will be notified of your assignment shortly thereafter. 


What to Bring

Mahzor: Our primary prayer book for the High Holy Days is Mahzor Lev Shalem, the Conservative Movement’s mahzor. Through the generosity of several anonymous donors, we have additional copies for our guests. Please bring your mahzor with you, taking care to inscribe your name in your books. If you would like to purchase a mahzor, please see the High Holidays Registration Form or stop by the office to see Martha or Debbie.

NOTE: If borrowing a mahzor from the shul, please return it at the end of each day.

Kippot & Tallit: As a sign of respect for our sacred space, we ask that all guests, Jewish and not Jewish, wear kippot throughout their visit to the synagogue. Though this custom is traditionally observed by men, we encourage women to do so as well. All men and women must have their heads covered when ascending the bimah. Jewish men and women over the age of bar/bat mitzvah are strongly encouraged to wear a tallit as well. Extra tallitot and kippot are available at the door.


Sanctuary Etiquette

  • Please wait in the rear or side aisles in the sanctuary when the Congregation is standing in prayer or when the Ark is open.
  • Please minimize leaving or entering during Rabbi Roland’s sermons.
  • Please assist the ushers when asked.
  • Please keep personal conversations to a minimum.
  • At the conclusion of services, please do not leave the sanctuary until after the final benediction.
  • Unless there is an emergency, please do not enter or exit through doors not serviced by a police officer.

Children at the High Holy Days

As every year, children are welcome to sit with their parents (or grandparents or other family members) during all High Holy Day services. There are books available in the back of the sanctuary but you are encouraged to bring books and quiet toys for them to enjoy on their own or with small quiet groups in the social hall, Beit Tefilah, Atrium or Josh’s Play Station (the playground). When not in the sanctuary, children must be accompanied by an adult or responsible older family member.

Services can be heard over speakers in the Beit Tefilah and Social Hall.

SHABBAT CLUBHOUSE/BABYSITTING SERVICE

Congregation Shaarey Tikvah is pleased to make babysitting services available for families with children from 0 – 4. We hire babysitters based on pre-registration and, therefore, require advance registration and pre-payment. Please use the High Holidays Registration Form to register your children, grandchildren and children of guests you may have invited this year. It is difficult to accommodate children who have not pre-registered. Thank you, in advance, for respecting this request.

Babysitting is separate and different from youth educational programming, (see below) which is available for children from kindergarten through grade 7. The babysitting room will have adult supervision and teenage volunteers.

Schedule for Shabbat Clubhouse/Babysitting

Rosh Hashanah
Days One and Two: 9:00am – Conclusion of service
Monday, Sept. 26 & Tuesday, Sept. 27

Yom Kippur
Tuesday, Oct. 4 (Kol Nidre) 6:15pm – Conclusion of service
Wednesday, October 5   9:30am – Conclusion of Musaf

Costs for babysitting services are:
$60/child Rosh Hashanah 1 & 2, Kol Nidre, and Yom Kippur

$50/child Rosh Hashanah 1 & 2 and Yom Kippur

$20/child Individual sessions

General Rules:
1. All children will be “signed in” and “signed out” using stickers, by either a parent or an adult caretaker. Siblings under 13 cannot take children to babysitting or pick them up.
2. If your child becomes inconsolable or is disruptive in the Shabbat Clubhouse room, you will be notified.

Because the children will receive a light lunch and snacks, we need to know of any food allergies. No outside food will be allowed in the babysitting rooms. Should you need to bring any special food items from home for the health of your child, please be mindful of the health considerations of others and our synagogue’s kashrut policy. Please contact Rabbi Roland with any specific questions or requests. All children will be given name tags. They will have to wear them during their stay in Shabbat Clubhouse.

FAMILY SERVICES AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING

There will be family services, activities, and learning opportunities for youth in kindergarten through 7th grade on both days of Rosh Hashanah as well as on Yom Kippur day.

It is our expectation that, throughout the duration of HHD services, your child will be with you, in babysitting, or involved in educational programming. Parents of children in grades K – 7 who would like them to participate in educational programming must return the Registration Form  no later than September 8th so we can plan our activities appropriately.

If you have questions, comments, concerns, or simply want to chat about options for children at Shaarey Tikvah during the holidays, please be in touch with our Director of Congregational Learning, Rabbi Rachel Brown. She is reachable by phone or text at (216) 245-5039 or by email at rbrown@shaareytikvah.org


Additional Information for the High Holidays

Yom Kippur Book of Remembrance: Information can be found on the High Holidays Registration Form.

Attention Shofar Enthusiasts: The Neilah Service on Yom Kippur concludes with a final blast of the Shofar. All who wish to participate in the blowing of the final “Tekiah Gedolah,” are invited to do so following the solo blast from the Baal Tekiah’s Shofar.

Purchasing Lulav & Etrog: Lulavim & etrogim are available for purchase through Frank’s Hebrew Bookstore, 14425 Cedar Rd., South Euclid, or Grand Judaica, 1873 S. Taylor Rd., Cleveland Heights. 

Tashlich: We will be “casting forth” on Monday, September 26 at 5pm at Ursuline College’s beautiful Lake Elissa again this year, weather permitting. The hill to the lake is steep with limited accessibility; if mobility is a challenge, please plan accordingly. We are grateful guests of Ursuline College again this year and plan to respect their property leaving it as pristine and peaceful as we found it. NO BREAD, please. Small rocks will be provided for casting. There is no access for walkers or drivers from Fairmount Boulevard due to construction work on campus. Drivers: Enter the North Entrance on Lander Road and follow the signs for the Stano Center and Pilla Center (shown on the map as #7 and #8) where parking is available. You will have a short walk, on a sidewalk and on grass as it slopes gently down to the lake. Walkers and cyclists: Enter the Main Entrance on Lander. 


Corners of our Field & MAZON Donations

Our Jewish tradition impels us to set aside “the corners of our fields” for the poor and the stranger, so that they might share in the bounty of our harvest. For many years, thousands of Jews have given life to that tradition by supporting MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger monetarily, and/or by donating food and supplies to local charities. This appeal has raised millions of dollars and millions of pounds of food. This is not just a Cleveland event, but takes place nationwide.

The goal of MAZON’s High Holy Day campaign is to raise money for MAZON’s work in our community and beyond, and to collect food for local charities. Critical to the success of this effort is promoting an understanding that donations of both food (to a local charity) and money (to MAZON) are crucial to finding a long-term solution to the hunger crisis. Shaarey Tikvah supports these efforts by donating food to area hunger centers.

Another option would be a monetary donation to MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger. Anyone that would like to take advantage of this option is welcome to leave a check made out to MAZON with the office or send a check to MAZON, PO Box 96119, Washington, DC 20090.

We hope each member/family will fill a whole grocery bag (or more) of much needed donations and bring it back to shul by Thursday, October 20. Volunteers will then sort and rebag the groceries for presentation to area hunger centers. Items especially desired are: diapers, baby food, desserts, canned items (i.e. pasta, fish, soup, vegetables and fruit). Donations of toilet paper and paper towels are always needed.

Anyone who wishes to help sort or deliver food items, please join us on Sunday, October 23 from 10 to 11am at the synagogue. If anyone has food to donate, but cannot get it to the synagogue, please feel free to call the office for a pick-up.