The Soul Hears Its Name Being Called

Yom Kippur is the most sacred day of the Jewish year. It is a time ofdeep personal encounter with the divine, our opportunity to restore ourholiness. Preparation for Yom Kippur begins even before Rosh Hashanah,as we take account of our lives in the past year. Yom Kippur, whichalways occurs on the tenth day of the Jewish year, is observed in thesynagogue with a day of communal fasting and prayer. On this day inancient Israel, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies in theTemple to atone for all the sins of the people. Living in modern times,instead of offering sacrifices, we offer our prayer.

At Congregation Beth Sholom, we hold services all evening and all day,beginning with Kol Nidre immediately after sundown and concluding withNe'ila in the closing hour of the following day. To accommodate notonly hundreds of members and their families, but also many guests, weschedule extra services.

Yom Kippur Afternoon Programming

Yom Kippur Afternoon Talk with Ephraim Margolin
Saturday, October 8, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Gronowski Family Chapel
Mr. Margolin will speak on the topic: "A radically new take on Shabbat from Torah." Mr. Margolin iis a past chairman of the Jewish Community Relations Council, attorney for the Israeli Consulate, and lecturer at University of California Hastings College of the Law.

Yom Kippur Afternoon Workshop with Leah Hermann
Saturday, October 8, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
School Building (Dance Studio, 2nd Floor)

Using simple techniques used to generate non-verbal material for theater, we will ask and answer some of the questions that come up during the High Holidays, and then deposit them into our bodies with behavioral and expressive gestures that easily and spontaneously come from you. The workshop is run like a theatrical rehearsal, with open, exploratory discussion followed by simple physical exercises that allow you to non-verbally articulate what most stuck to you from the discussion. Put together, we create a tapestry of movements that talk about the prayer and introspection of the past 10+ days. Because the body cannot lie. It can only communicate honestly with you.

Leah Hermann has been working in theatre in New York and the Bay Area for over 20 years.

Yom Kippur Meditation with Norman Fischer
Saturday, October 8, 2-4 p.m.
Makom Sholom
Join us for an afternoon meditation, free and open to all. Sponsored by Makor Or.

Non-Member Tickets
Non-member tickets are available for services in Koret Hall. Rabbi Dorothy Richman and congregants will lead services that are participatory, with singing, davening, and teachings. Click here to download a non-member ticket order form, or call the office at 415.221.8736, ext. 111.