We invite you to join Kol Ami on a journey through the High Holy Days—a season of reflection, renewal, and connection.
Experience the Reconstructionist difference. Our High Holiday services are meaningful and musical, inclusive and participatory, with opportunities for all ages to engage. Whether you’re joining us in person or online, we’re grateful to gather as a community during this sacred season.
To help us prepare for a welcoming and meaningful experience for everyone, we ask that all participants register in advance.
A Message from Rabbi Doug HeifetzI recently spent a weekday morning engaged in one of the many conversations I’m scheduling with Kol Ami members. We shared stories, laughter, and heartfelt conversation.
As I drove home, I found myself thinking, ” This feels like coming home. That experience became the inspiration for my High Holiday letter.
This year’s theme, New Beginnings, reminds us that the most meaningful new beginnings often begin by returning—to our deepest values, to one another, and to the communities that welcome us with open hearts.
I hope you’ll take a few moments to read my full letter, and I look forward to celebrating a sweet and meaningful New Year together.
Explore my full High Holiday message, view the complete holiday schedule, and register for services and events below.
Saturday, September 5
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Erev Rosh Hashanah – Friday, September 11
(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 – Saturday, September 12
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.
Tashlich Picnic – Saturday, September 12
(In Person Only – Public Park): 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Kol Nidre – Sunday, September 20
(In Person & Livestreamed)
6:45 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Yom Kippur Day – Monday, September 21
(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: 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 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 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.
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.
Yizkor SlideshowHonor a loved one’s memory during our Yom Kippur Yizkor service. Submit their name and photo by September 14 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
Dear Kol Ami Members & Guests,
Best wishes for the New Year of 5787! I look forward to celebrating the High Holidays with you.
A few days ago, I spent a weekday morning with several Kol Ami members as one of the many conversations I’m working to schedule since arriving as your rabbi.
Almost immediately, we were laughing together, sharing stories, and speaking honestly about our lives and the journeys that had brought each of us to this community.
What struck me most was how naturally people celebrated one another. Someone spoke with affection about another couple’s adult child, describing them as “absolutely wonderful.” Another member was praised for giving “the best hugs.” We laughed over a decades-old wedding story involving Rabbi Bruce, a White Sox tallit, and a lifelong Cubs fan. It wasn’t any single story that stayed with me. It was the warmth with which they were told.
As the gathering ended, several people remarked that it had been an honor simply to spend the morning together. I remember thinking what a remarkable thing that was to say—and realizing that I felt exactly the same way.
I found myself thinking, This feels like coming home.
The experience reminded me of one of the deepest ideas of the High Holidays. We often translate the Hebrew word teshuvah as “repentance,” but its Hebrew root, shuv, simply means “to return.”
Perhaps the High Holidays invite us not simply to become someone new, but to rediscover who we are at our best—to return home to the relationships that sustain us, the values that guide us, and the deepest truths about ourselves.
Our High Holiday theme this year is New Beginnings. At first, “new beginnings” and “returning home” might seem like opposites. Yet perhaps the most meaningful new beginnings begin with returning: returning to compassion, gratitude, community, and one another.
In these first weeks together, I’ve already begun to glimpse what makes Kol Ami such a remarkable community. I’ve encountered generosity, openness, thoughtful questions, laughter, and a genuine commitment to creating Jewish life together. I’ve also become aware that many among us are carrying grief, uncertainty, or the weight of change. The High Holidays make room for all of us, inviting us to arrive just as we are.
My hope is that everyone who walks through Kol Ami’s doors this season—whether you’ve been here for decades or are visiting for the first time—will experience what I experienced that morning: the unexpected joy of discovering that home is not simply where we are known, but where we are welcomed.
L’shanah tovah! May 5787 be a sweet, healthy, and meaningful year—a year of new beginnings, and of coming home.
Rabbi Doug
We hope you’ll celebrate the High Holidays with us. The High Holidays are just one part of Jewish life at Kol Ami.
Explore our Holidays page to learn about the holidays we celebrate throughout the year, browse our calendar to see what’s coming up, and sign up for our monthly Kol Ami newsletter for updates on services, programs, holiday celebrations, and community events.
Questions about our High Holiday services or attending for the first time? Contact us—we’d be happy to help.
Sign up for a monthly newsletter about upcoming Kol Ami services and programs.
