Home > Worship > High Holy Days 2024/5785
We are excited to offer Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur worship opportunities at Temple, the Julia Bindeman Suburban Center (JBSC), and online.
Want a feel for what our services are like? Watch our High Holy Days 2023 playlist!
Schedule | Ticketing | Parking | Volunteer & Tributes | Accessibility & Assistance | Additional Details
* Who will deliver the sermon at the service.
CLERGY KEY: SS (Rabbi Susan Shankman), ADM (Rabbi Aaron Miller), ELF (Rabbi Eliana Fischel), RLS (Rabbi Rachel Schmelkin), MBL (Rabbi Emeritus M. Bruce Lustig), SAB (Cantor Susan Bortnick), SH (Cantor Suzanne Hamstra), MM (Cantor Emeritus Mikhail Manevich)
Thank you to the Women of Washington Hebrew Congregation for providing the bimah flowers during the High Holy Days.
^ Separate ticket required
STEP 1: Renew your membership for 2024-25 (Already renewed? If you’re a Non-Resident member, go to Step 3, otherwise, move to Step 2)
STEP 2: Please refer to the email we sent with all the information about High Holy Days. Your High Holy Days passes will be sent via email during the week of September 23. No need to fill out a separate form to request your complimentary member tickets! With your High Holy Days member pass, you can attend any of our services at either of our buildings.
STEP 3: If you would like to purchase guest tickets or have any questions, please contact seatingoffice@whctemple.org.
STEP 4: The week of September 23, look for an email from Washington Hebrew Congregation with the subject “Your WHC High Holy Days Passes.” Please print the email with your passes or save it somewhere easy to access on your phone, and bring it to Temple or JBSC. When you arrive for services, check in with one of our staff members.
STEP 5: If you would like to purchase tickets for the Community Break Fast, fill out and submit the form below.
We warmly welcome you to join us for services at Temple or the Julia Bindeman Suburban Center. Tickets may be purchased below.
ORDER NON-MEMBER TICKETS
If you would like to purchase tickets for the Community Break Fast, fill out and submit the form below.
Want to learn more about joining our community? Contact Director of Member Engagement Jennifer Millstone.
Whether you’re in school at American, George Washington, Georgetown, Maryland, or any other college/university, you are welcome to attend services with us here at WHC. Services are FREE for students, just present a student ID along with a second form of identification.
Following our N’ilah service at Temple on Saturday, October 12, we invite everyone to join us for a traditional break fast.
Order Break Fast Tickets
WHC members* who have renewed their membership for 2024-2025 will receive complimentary High Holy Days passes for the people in their Temple account (up to two primary adults and children under 30). Single-adult households will receive an additional High Holy Days pass to enjoy our High Holy Day experience with a family member or friend. Sustaining Members also receive additional complimentary passes.
Yes, many of our High Holy Days services at Temple will be livestreamed. (Please refer to the schedule above.)
Watch the Livestream
After a livestreamed service concludes, it will also be available to watch on-demand on our YouTube page.
We warmly welcome friends and extended family of WHC members as well as members of the greater community to join us at any or all of our High Holy Days services.
Pricing for Non-members (WHC members receive a discounted rate for guest tickets)
If you would like to use your historic seats, or you have any questions, please call the Temple office at 202-362-7100 or email seatingoffice@whctemple.org.
WHC participates in the Union for Reform Judaism’s courtesy seating program. If you have renewed your Temple membership for 2024-2025, You can request to transfer your High Holy Days tickets to seating at another URJ Reform congregation. Use the URJ’s Reciprocal Request Form or call 202-362-7100 for assistance.
Although we will miss you, remember that many of our services will be available on our livestream so you can follow along wherever you are. See the schedule above for which services will be online.
Limited accessible parking is available at both JBSC and Temple on a first-come, first-served basis. Please have your valid parking tag or placard to show our staff upon arrival.
Two nearby blocks on Macomb St. NW and 39th St. NW are blocked and reserved for our members to park during the holidays.
We have also arranged for you to park at St. Sophia’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral (2815 36th St. NW) with round-trip shuttles available at the following times:
We have also arranged for you to park at National Presbyterian Church (4024 Van Ness St NW) with round-trip shuttles available at the following times:
At Washington Hebrew Congregation, we welcome the sweetness of the new year on Rosh HaShanah by reflecting on our past year and reawakening our spirit for the year to come. On Yom Kippur, we fast as a means to achieve teshuvah (repentance). We also take this opportunity to recommit ourselves to social action and perform acts of tzedakah.
This year’s Food Drive collection will benefit Washington Hebrew Congregation’s Sunday Stuffing — All the Fixin’s. All non-perishable foods will be accepted. You can drop food off at Temple or JBSC now through November 26.
The Community Issues/Social Action Committee and WHECTY have teamed up to help with this year’s High Holy Days Food Drive.
For Sunday Stuffing, we are collecting the following items:
Our Greeters ensure that everyone – Temple members, visitors, guests, and extended family – each person is made to feel welcome when they come into our buildings. From a warm smile to starting a conversation and answering basic questions about WHC, our Greeters help create community.
Belonging to a synagogue is about creating a community and building lifelong relationships. We embrace the Jewish value of kavod — dignity — which guides us to create a culture of respect from the moment anyone enters our spaces.
We celebrate the diversity of all the individuals and families who call WHC home.
Apply to be a Greeter
This role is similar to that of the Greeter, but ushers are also there to assist with making sure people know where the prayer books are, guiding traffic in case of an emergency, monitoring the doors, ticket-taking, and more throughout the High Holy Days.
WHC is looking for members to assist with greeting, guiding, check-in, and much more throughout the High Holy Days.
If you'd like to help, please fill out the form below and a member of our team will be in touch.
We have volunteer opportunities available at both Temple on Macomb St. NW and the Julia Bindeman Suburban Center in Potomac, Maryland.
Please plan to arrive at least 30-45 minutes prior to the start of each service.
Please contact Rich Gordon with any questions.
Bring additional sweetness to your High Holy Days by pre-ordering delicious treats from Sunflower Bakery! Orders must be placed by 12 noon on Friday, September 25 to pick-up at Temple or JBSC on Sunday, September 29 between 11:00 am-4:00 pm. Sunflower is featuring holiday favorites, delicious new desserts and round challah (traditional, almond, raisin, honey whole wheat, and a vegan option) to usher in the New Year.
See Sunflower’s Rosh HaShanah menu
Questions? Email Sunflower or call (240) 361-3698.
Sunflower Bakery and Café Sunflower are dedicated to providing skilled job training and employment for adults 18+ with learning differences in pastry arts, production baking, barista service and front of house operations. Sunflower Bakery is one-of-a-kind and the only inclusive training program in Maryland that prepares young adults with learning differences for employment success in pastry arts, baking or related industries. A community-based social enterprise focused on expanding job training and employment opportunities, workforce skills learned at Sunflower Bakery and Café Sunflower are marketable and transferable.
Our High Holy Days machzor (prayer book) is Mishkan HaNefesh.
At Temple & JBSC, we have prayer books for you to use when you come for services. If you have your own copies, you are invited to bring them.
Interested in ordering prayer books? Buy direct from Amazon in hardcover or Kindle editions.
Our religion gives us the opportunity to honor a long life with the beautiful custom of celebrating a second (or first!) B’nei Mitzvah when a person turns 83.
If you celebrated or will celebrate your 83rd birthday between last Yom Kippur (9/25/23) and this one (10/12/24), we invite you to read the Torah blessings with us during our morning Intergenerational Services on Yom Kippur – from your seat at Temple, JBSC, or home! To participate in this aliyah, fill out the form below.
CELEBRATE AN 83rd BIRTHDAY
On Rosh HaShanah day, we have a wonderful tradition of reading the names of all the babies and children who have come into the lives of our Temple families during the past year.
If you welcomed a new child or grandchild after Rosh HaShanah 2023 (9/15/23) and would like us to include them in this reading, please fill out the form below.
CELEBRATE A NEW BABY
The deadline for Memorial Book submissions is September 9.
Members can adjust their listing or create one if they never had one in the past, using their Membership Renewal Form.
Already renewed your membership but need to make a change? Have additional questions? Contact Director of Philanthropy Margaret Cohen at mcohen@whctemple.org.
At Temple, the Macomb St. doors are fully accessible, and there is a chair glide at the parking lot entrance. Our restrooms and worship spaces are all accessible.
At JBSC, the main entrance is wheelchair accessible, and for anyone attending the outdoor Erev Rosh HaShanah service, a ramp is located through the lunchroom that will take you directly outside to the worship area.
We will also have designated seating reserved at both JBSC and Temple for those with special needs. When you arrive for services, please see an usher who can direct you.
We will have licensed paramedics on hand at both Temple and JBSC just in case there is a need.
ASL interpretation is available upon request for any service or Study Session (in-person or via livestream) with at least two weeks’ notice. Closed Captioning is also available on request for our livestream. Please contact Rich Gordon, rgordon@whctemple.org, with any questions.
We currently have ASL interpreters scheduled for the following services:
At Temple, Kaufmann Sanctuary, Albert & Shirley Small Chapel, and Irwin & Ginny Edlavitch Hall are equipped with infrared listening systems. Wireless headphones needed to utilize the systems are available in Hurston Library.
For services at Temple, large print prayer books are available in Hurston Library.
For services at JBSC, large print prayer books are available in the Teen Lounge.
