This past week I had the opportunity to sit in on two zoom calls with the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR, the rabbinical union for Reform rabbis) about the High Holidays. The consensus among the congregations is that this year’s High Holidays will look different and most likely will require some type of streaming for us to gather as a community.
As you can imagine this creates a tremendous amount of fear and excitement among me and my colleagues, fear, due to the question that arises of how do we provide a spiritually satisfying experience without the staples of the holidays provided by place and in person interaction; and excitement due to the prospect and challenge of being creative and innovative in how we approach the holidays this year.
What mainly came out of the meetings were not answers, but questions - questions for us to consider as a congregation and community. If you could take a few minutes and answer the following questions it would be very much appreciated. By providing answers you will allow us to craft a High Holiday experience that is spiritually satisfying. You can email me your responses at rabbimicah@tbdcheshire.org. I look forward to hearing from you and wish you Shabbat Shalom.
What are the moments in the High Holiday liturgy that are most meaningful to you and the community?
What is the essence of that moment?
What do you remember taking away from last year?
What do we need from the High Holidays this year individually and communally?
