Take Strength and With Courageous Heart Place Hope Towards God
Click to view the 2018 High Holy Days Booklet
L'Shana Tova! Join us for an inspirational High Holy Day experience at Adas Israel. Whether you are new to the community or a member of many years, we invite you to step out of your daily routines, to join together with the kehilla, to reflect deeply on what matters to you, and to embrace the pinnacle of our Jewish prayer experience. This year our theme for the Yamim Noraim is centered around the last line of Psalm 27. The Psalm ends with the mantra: Hope to God--be strong and build a courageous heart--Hope to God. This year, it’s a phrase that feels palpably appropriate. We have encountered together the trials and triumphs of your lives and we have witnessed the enormous strength, doubt, hope, pain, and ultimately, the abundant quality of resilience you possess. Together we are invited to face each other and ourselves, and to build space for honesty, loss, longing and ultimately connection.
Complete Guide: 2018 High Holy Days
Youth & Families Services
Full Schedule of Youth & Families Services
We are blessed to have so many families in our community. Each one is unique. And we celebrate our similarities and our differences as we come together to mark sacred time.
Sukkot / Simchat Torah
Full Schedule of Services and Events
Sukkot begins on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei. Hag HaSukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, reminds us of the huts (sukkot) in which our ancestors dwelt in the desert for forty years on their way to the Promised Land.
Mindful Holiday Programs
Click here for a full schedule of events
Each session offered this High Holy Day season will unpack and build upon the essential Days of Awe texts and prayers that prepare us to bring our full selves to Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur.
High Holy Days Ushering
Every year during each of the High Holy Day services, a dedicated group of members volunteer as ushers. And in so doing, we fulfill the mitzvah of hachnasat orchim (welcoming guests). Click here for more information on High Holy Day ushering and greeting.
The Adas Fund 2018
Please give to The Adas Fund 2018, inspired by the work of the Hesed committee. We are honored and humbled by their commitment and hope you will follow their good example by supporting our sacred congregation through our only annual campaign, at any level of giving. Contribute Today.
Return Again: Spirited Holiday Services
Our "Return Again" Kol Nidre services have drawn thousands to a spirited outdoor worship experience unlike any other in Washington, DC. Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt & the Return Again Band present this year's "Return Again" services to fill your holidays with meaning, music & transcendence.
Livestream High Holy Day Services
Click Here to access our broadcast page
In keeping with our ongoing efforts to provide accessible and inclusive community offerings at Adas Israel, we are excited to announce that livestreaming is now available for High Holy Day Services in the Charles E. Smith Sanctuary and Kay Hall.
Non-member Tickets
We look forward to welcoming you to Adas Israel for the High Holy Days! Non-members may purchase tickets here. If you decide to join our congregation before December 31, 2018, we will apply the cost of these tickets towards your membership contribution. Also, Young Professionals between the ages of 21 – 35 can purchase tickets here through EntryPointDC. L'shana Tovah!
Frequently Asked Questions
Click Here to find answers to the most Frequently Asked Questions about the High Holy Days including answers on parking, tickets, seating, and more!
Receive an Aliyah or Honor
High Holy Day Ticket Request
Seating Charts
A Message From Rabbis Lauren Holtzblatt & Aaron Alexander
Shanah tovah! This year our theme for the Yamim Noraim is centered around the last line of Psalm 27. The Psalm ends with the mantra: Hope to God--be strong and build a courageous heart--Hope to God. This phrase might be familiar as it is the Psalm we begin reciting at the beginning of the month Elul in preparation for the High Holidays, and continue all the way through Hoshanah Rabba.
This year, it’s a phrase that feels palpably appropriate. We have encountered together the trials and triumphs of your lives and we have witnessed the enormous strength, doubt, hope, pain, and ultimately, the abundant quality of resilience you possess. We have traveled with you through illness, divorce, addiction, and loss. We have been witness to you struggling with the hardships of life-- suffering no one can escape--yet return with an undying hunger and resolve to live, to love again, and to be open and vulnerable enough to reignite hope.
Together we are invited to face each other and ourselves, and to build space for honesty, loss, longing and ultimately connection. And we will be right here with you.
May it be a year of health, growth and connection. Many blessings for a shanah tovah.
Rabbis Lauren Holtzblatt and Aaron Alexander
Selichot
Saturday night, September 1 @ 9pm on the Connecticut Ave Plaza
Several days before Rosh Hashanah, Jews around the world gather together to recite the Selichot, a beautiful series of penitential prayers and meaningful liturgy. This tradition invites us to open ourselves up to the essential work of the Days of Awe: the process of repair and return, of acknowledgement and longing. Please join the community for a warm evening of personal reflection through song, text, and sharing our own stories. The evening is generously sponsored by the Mollie & Joseph Muchnick Selichot Fund.
Rosh Hashanah Gift Bag Project
Keep an eye out for updates about our yearly RH Hesed Project!
Each year we join together to spread the sweetness of the New Year! For the past five years the Hesed Committee has organized the assembly and delivery of Rosh Hashanah bags with a lot of help from the Adas community and we hope that you will help us again this year. We have not finalized the date yet, so please keep an eye out for updates in @Adas. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Marcy Spiro, Director of Membership Engagement at marcy.spiro@adasisrael.org or 202-362-4433 ext. 113.
Seating Reminder
Please note that again this year, after the sermons in the Charles E. Smith Sanctuary, a seat that has not been occupied will be considered available for seating. This applies to both dedicated and reserved seats.We thank our committee members and coordinators for sharing their time and their holidays so others can have a meaningful High Holy Day season. Watch your mail for the High Holy Day packet. We look forward to celebrating the most exciting time of the year with you, our Adas family.
Parking Information
Please observe neighborhood parking restrictions, particularly on Connecticut Avenue. Only limited parking is available in the synagogue lot, which is used mostly for handicap parking. If you are driving someone who has difficulty walking, we ask that you drop that person off at the front of the synagogue and then nd a parking space. Please note: There will be no parking available in the synagogue lot (even for those on the parking list) on Kol Nidre. If you would like us to help you make alternative parking or transportation arrangements for that evening, please call the synagogue office.
