We invite you to join Kol Ami on a journey into and through the Days of Awe.
Experience the Reconstructionist difference—our High Holiday services are meaningful and musical, inclusive and participatory, with something for everyone. Whether you’re joining us in person or online, we’re grateful to come together as a community during this sacred season.
Registration opens in mid-July. To help us plan thoughtfully, we ask that everyone register in advance.
If you are trying to register after 12:00 p.m. on September 22, please email for assistance.
Saturday, September 13
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Erev Rosh Hashanah – Monday, September 22
(In Person & Livestreamed)
Service: 6:30 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.
Apples and Honey: 7:45 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Rosh Hashanah Day I – Tuesday, September 23
Morning Service (In Person & Livestreamed): 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Children’s Services – Led by Ari Jacobson (In Person Only)
• Ages 0–7: 10:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
• Snacks & Schmoozing
• Ages 8–12: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Rosh Hashanah Day I – Tuesday, September 23
Tashlich Picnic (In Person Only – Public Park): 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Kol Nidre – Wednesday, October 1
(In Person & Livestreamed)
6:45 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Yom Kippur Day – Thursday, October 2
(In Person & on Zoom)
Morning Service: 10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
• Torah & Text Study: 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
• Yizkor: 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Children’s Services – Led by Ari Jacobson (In Person Only)
• Ages 0–7: 10:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
• Ages 8–12: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Book of Jonah: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Neilah (In Person & on Zoom): 6:15 p.m. – 7:28 p.m.
Final Shofar Blast / End of Fasting: 7:28 p.m.
Break Fast (In Person only): 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
We’re excited to offer joyful and engaging Children’s Services on both Rosh Hashanah Day I and Yom Kippur Day, led by educator and song leader Ari Jacobson.
Ages 7 and under: 10:00 – 10:45 a.m.
Ages 8–12: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Light snacks and time to schmooze will be offered between sessions.
All children’s programming takes place in person and is designed to be musical, interactive, and age-appropriate—giving young ones their own meaningful High Holiday experience.
The High Holidays are a time of reflection, renewal, and reconnection—with ourselves, our community, and the sacred. Whether you’re returning to familiar traditions or exploring them for the first time, learning more can deepen your experience.
Discover the meaning behind key rituals like the sounding of the shofar, the practice of teshuvah (return), and the themes that shape Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Click here to explore more about the High Holidays at Kol Ami »
As we prepare for the High Holidays, we reflect on the importance of charity, kindness, and social justice. This year, Kol Ami’s Tikkun Olam Committee is excited to partner with Jews United for Justice as we deepen our commitment to advocacy and meaningful action in Northern Virginia.
We welcome your support during this sacred season of reflection and renewal.
The links for our High Holiday Livestream and Zoom services will be made available closer to the dates of the holidays.
We will send out the links directly to those who have registered. Please ensure that you complete your registration to receive the appropriate access.
Livestream Links:
Yizkor SlideshowHonor a loved one’s memory during our Yom Kippur Yizkor service. Submit their name and photo by Friday, September 19 using this form.
If you would like to maintain or edit your previous slides, please contact us.
We are grateful to share in remembrance together as a community.
You can follow along with our services using the High Holiday Machzor, available digitally. Whether you’re attending in person or online, having the machzor on hand will enhance your experience.
Click here to access the High Holiday Machzor
Welcome! As I write this in July, it’s hard to wrap my head around what we have been living through this past year. We could have used a year of turning back from divisiveness and ways of war. We could have used a year of healing and rebuilding in Israel, a year of calm and healing here in America. Instead, we have been thrust even further into a maelstrom of chaos, civil strife, and a frightening shift away from our cherished Jewish and American values.
But I find myself singing, off and on, the beautiful song by Alexandra Blakely that Hazzan Rebekka Goldsmith introduced us to at a Shabbaton this spring. The words are:
You do not carry this all alone
No you do not carry this all alone.
This is way too big for you to carry this on your own
So you do not, carry this all alone.
You can hear it sung by Alexandra Blakely here.
I need hardly tell you — none of us can carry this load ourselves. Nor should we feel we have to. We need one another — to marshal our courage, to fight what can be fought, to march and demonstrate and make our voices heard, to take care of one another, to lean on our tradition and on God for support and strength.
There’s a beautiful line from Pirkei Avot / The Ethics of the Fathers that we will be coupling with Alexandra Blakely’s song. You’ve heard the words before, but they have a new poignancy now:
Lo alecha ham’lacha ligmor, V’lo ata ben chorim l’hibateil mimena.
You’re not required to complete the task, but you aren’t free to sit it out.
We’ll be singing our way through these lines, reinforcing the message that we are in this together. Let the High Holidays be a time to join with others and fortify your soul. Kol Ami welcomes you into our community.
~ Rabbi Gilah
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