High Holy Day Services - 2020

 Dear Seven Hills Members and Friends,

Shalom. We look forward to welcoming you all to our High Holy Day Services.

All our 7 Hills Shul High Holy Day (HHD) sessions, at Rosh Hashanah (RH) and on Yom Kippur (YK), apart from Tashlich, will be run online via Zoom. We are delighted that most of these will be led by Student Rabbi Eleanor Davis this year. Rum will lead the 7 Hills Shul children’s service/fun hour.

In addition, other services and activities are being run by the Movement for Reform Judaism (MRJ), Reform Synagogue Youth (RSY), and other Reform synagogues

To access ALL 7 Hills services (apart from children’s activities) - email: hhd@shef-ref.co.uk

To access most MRJ and RSY services:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85657351354
Meeting No: 856 5735 1354 (no password is required)

7 Hills Children’s activities – for Zoom details, please email: rum@shef-ref.co.uk

Information about other MRJ HHD services, and Services and activities at other Reform Synagogues in the UK can be found at the following MRJ website: https://www.reformjudaism.org.uk/high-holy-days-2020-5781

 

Timetable

Rosh Hashanah Services and Activities

Time Day Service or Activity Run by 7.30pm Fri 18th Sept Erev RH Service 7 Hills         09.30am Sat 19th Sept MRJ Family Service (primary school age) MRJ 10.30am Sat 19th Sept RH Morning service 7 Hills 10.30am Sat 19th Sept MRJ Children’s Under 5's Service * MRJ 11.00am Sat 19th Sept RSY teenagers' activity RSY 2.00pm Sat 19th Sept Study Session “Angelic intervention? Considering how we as 21st-Century Jews understand angels in our Torah readings and perhaps in our lives today” 7 Hills         10.30am Sun 20th Sept 2nd day RH Service with Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner MRJ 11.00am Sun 20th Sept Children’s Rosh Hashanah fun hour - please email Rum for Zoom details *** 7 Hills – by Rum ~3.00pm Sun 20th Sept Tashlich small gatherings in local parks (maximum of 6 persons per group – only by prior arrangement) – email: hhd@shef-ref.co.uk 7 Hills is coordinating – but run by members

Yom Kippur Services & Activities

Time	Day	Service or Activity	Run by
6.33pm	Sun 27th Sept	Fast Begins
7.30pm	Sun 27th Sept	Kol Nidre Service	7 Hills
9.30am	Mon 28th Sept	MRJ Family Service (primary school age)	MRJ
10.30am	Mon 28th Sept	YK Morning Service	7 Hills
10.30am	Mon 28th Sept	MRJ Children’s Under 5's Service *	MRJ
11.00am	Mon 28th Sept	RSY teenagers' activity	RSY
12.30pm	Mon 28th Sept	Study Session “Spiritual stain removal: Leviticus 16 and an annual casting out of sin - what do we do today without the sacrificial scapegoat ritual?”	7 Hills
2.00pm	Mon 28th Sept	MRJ study session with Student Rabbi Hannah Altorf, "The Power of Promise" - summary of session can be found here	MRJ
3.30pm	Mon 28th Sept	MRJ Meditative Minchah with Kohenet Yael Tischler, with chanting and storytelling - more information can be found here	MRJ
5.40pm	Mon 28th Sept	Yizkor (remembrance) Service	7 Hills
6.40pm	Mon 28th Sept	Neilah (Closing) Service	7 Hills
7.40pm	Mon 28th Sept	YK Fast ends

Some advice for attending our High Holy Days Services

Advice about using Zoom
If you need any advice or support about using Zoom, please email: zoom@shef-ref.co.uk
 

Your Zoom name
Please remember to make sure that your screen name is the one we know you by! This is how to change your name before you try to enter the Zoom room:

• Sign into your downloaded version of Zoom
• Click the 'Home' button, then click the ‘Join’ button
• It will ask for meeting ID - enter the meeting number
• Check your name is okay and change if needed
• Join the meeting!

Zoom rooms

Please also note that we will be opening our Zoom rooms 10 minutes before the start time to allow time for checking your connection and shmoozing. However, we will aim to start services at the advertised time!

Machzor (prayer book)
To follow our services, we recommend you use your High Holy Day Machzor (prayer book). If anyone wishes to borrow one, please contact: hhd@shef-ref.co.uk and we will try to supply one! However, the link: machzor on-line provides access to all the Machzorim on-line. There are several different formats, so please check which you prefer before the service. Note - if you are following the service on Zoom and reading the Machzor on-line you may need two devices – or a large screen on a computer.
 

Extras

If you are attending either of the Rosh Hashanah services, do ‘bring along’ apples, honey, challah (or bread), and wine or grape juice if you would like to join the kiddush at the end. Also, if you have a Havdalah candle and some wine, please bring them for Havdalah after the Neilah service on YK.

Top tips for making the most of online prayer services

• Firstly, think about where you are. Choose somewhere as free from distractions as possible; consider what you see beyond your screen and in your background – can you make it beautiful? You might even consider facing east, towards Jerusalem.
• Secondly, think about your body. Be comfortable so you can last the whole service, both in a position where you can sit/stand comfortably and in your clothes. What might you wear to make you feel special?
• Thirdly, think about what you do. Put away your phone and join in with the service; arrive in time to focus; have a prayer book ready (in your hands or online); then read along and sing – just check you are ‘on mute’, unless everyone is meant to hear you!
   

7 Hills Shul - High Holy Day Appeal

This year we are supporting two organisations - Save a Childﾒs Heartﾠ, and SAYiT.

'Save a Child's Heart' is an Israeli-based international non-profit organisation with the mission of improving the quality of paediatric cardiac care for children in developing countries and creating centres of competence in those countries. 

SAYiT is the LGBT+ youth organisation, based in Sheffield. It runs youth groups, provides counselling and 1-1 support, does outreach, and provides training. Their Noah Lomax Fund, which is used to pay for mental health resources is dwindling, so your donations to support this will be gratefully received. 

Note – Rum currently works part-time for SAYiT, and has previously done some work for ‘Save a Child’s Heart’, but these charities were chosen independently by Committee for our HHD appeal this year.

 

Tashlich

Tashlich is a short ceremony carried out near running water, normally on RH. It is symbolic for casting away your sins, and can be very informal (maybe with a few readings) or more formal (with some prayers). The current government restrictions on meetings mean that we can't organise a single Tashlich ceremony this year. However we are trying to help people who wish to meet to carry out this ceremony themselves by linking people to allow them to meet in small groups of up to 6 persons. If you are interested but haven't advised us yet, please contact Rum at: rum@shef-ref.co.uk. However please do not meet with others in groups of more than 6 people, as this would be illegal.

 

Sukkot

Due to the recent changes in Government restrictions on meetings, and the introduction of the ‘rule of 6’, the Committee are currently reviewing whether actual Sukkot gatherings will be possible. As a result, Sukkot might also be mainly on Zoom. We will advise more about this later.
 

May this new year bring a vaccine for this frightening pandemic and may your High Holy Days be filled with reflection, spirit and calm

(for details on any of the above - please contact us at: hhd@shef-ref.co.uk)