Take Strength, and With Courageous Heart,
Place Hope Towards God - L'Shana Tova Tikatevu
Click to view the full 2018 High Holy Day Booklet & Schedule
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
Complete Guide: 2018 High Holy Days
High Holy Day Sermons
Rabbi Aaron Alexander
Rosh Hashanah |Yom Kippur | Yizkor
Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt
Rosh Hashanah
Rabbi Sarah Krinsky
Erev Rosh Hashanah
Sukkot / Simchat Torah
Click Here to Learn More!
Lulav and Etrog Order Form
Full Schedule of Services and Events
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.
Yom Kippur Afternoon Speakers
With Alix Speigel and Hanna Rosin of Invisibilia
Join us for an afternoon session featuring Invisibilia co-creators Alix Speigel and Hanna Rosin, in conversation with Rabbis Lauren Holtzblatt and Aaron Alexander. They’ll cover core High Holy Day themes, like: living with pain and fear, how much does our past influence our future, what do we leave unsaid and why, and more. Invisibilia is a celebrated radio program and podcast that boldly explores the invisible forces that shape human behavior.
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.
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.
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
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
Seating in the Charles E. Smith Sanctuary is reserved for those carrying green tickets at the following times.Due to the overwhelming success of our outdoor Kol Nidre service, there will be no Kay Hall service on Kol Nidre. All services will have open seating, including the Charles E. Smith Sanctuary, please see above for when reserved seating applies.
RH Day 1: Begins 10:45am with Musaf Service, concludes at end of sermon
Yom Kippur: Begins 10:30am with Torah Service, concludes at end of sermon
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.
