June 21, 2021

High Holy Days

Service Details & Registration Information Please register by August 11th

Live and Streaming
Service Schedule

Erev Rosh Hashanah
September 22nd
7:30pm-9:00pm*
Potluck Dessert Oneg to follow

Rosh Hashanah Day One

September 23rd
Early Service
9:00am-11:30am*
Late Service
12:30pm-3:00pm
Family Service
3:30pm-4:15pm
Community Tashlich
5:00 pm

Rosh Hashanah Day Two
September 24th
10:00am-Noon*
Luncheon to follow

Yom Kippur Kol Nidre
October 1st
Early Service
5:30pm-7:30pm*
Late Service
8:30pm-10:30pm

Yom Kippur
October 2nd
Early Service
9:00am-11:30am*
Late Service
12:30pm-3:00pm
Family Service
3:30pm-4:15pm
Afternoon Discussions
3:15pm
Yizkor and Neilah Service
5:00-7:00pm*

*Live stream service available

Please Note: For the Kol Nidre Services, the sanctuary doors will be closed promptly at 5:30pm and at 8:30pm and will not re-open until the cello solo is completed.

Quick Links

Pay Your Bill Online

Learn About Membership

Annual Fund Donation

See last year's memorial book

Member, Guest & Reciprocal Tickets

Simplified Tickets
We’ve made our ticketing process easier this year. Tickets will be emailed on September 15, 2025 to all members who have made a payment toward their 2025–26 membership commitment and registered for High Holy Day services. You can either print the ticket or show it on your phone when you arrive. Your ticket and a valid photo ID are required for High Holy Day service entry. If you need assistance, our office staff is available during the week to assist you. 

Guest & Reciprocal Tickets
Guest Tickets may be purchased by members for extended family and friends by clicking the ticket order button below. Guest tickets will be emailed to guests commencing on September 15, 2025. The last guest tickets will be emailed at noon on September 22, 2025. Guests can either print the ticket or show it on their phone when they arrive. The ticket and a valid photo ID are required for High Holy Day service entry.

Reciprocal tickets are issued to family and friends who are members in good standing at other URJ affiliated synagogues. Reciprocal tickets are subject to seating availability and may be ordered by calling the main office at (914) 949-4717. Reciprocal tickets will be emailed. Reciprocal tickets can either be printed or shown on a phone when the guest arrives. The ticket and a valid photo ID are required for High Holy Day service entry.

Order All Ticket Types

Please note that in order to request High Holy Day tickets you must have either paid a minimum of 50% of your dues for the coming year or made payment arrangements with Jess Lorden or Alison Adler.

Youth & Family Service Options

The Jewish journey of every child is vitally important to us at Kol Ami. Our youth worship options create dynamic, meaningful and age appropriate holiday experiences for our children.

Young Children
We are excited to welcome families with young children to in-person services at 3:30pm on our front lawn on Rosh Hashanah Day 1 and Yom Kippur Day. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and experience the beauty of the holiday surrounded by the beauty of nature. In the event of inclement weather, the service will be held in the Main Sanctuary.
Grades K-6
During both the Early and Late services on Rosh Hashanah Day 1 and Yom Kippur Day, we welcome children in grades K-6 to worship in a service designed especially for them while their parents worship in the main service. Registration is required and can be done on the same form as the ticket registration.
Grades 7-12
Teens and pre-teens in grades 7-12 are welcome to worship in the main sanctuary with their parents. Teens in grades 9-12 interested in assisting with youth services can contact Melissa Cohen, our Director of Youth Engagement, at melissacohen@nykolami.org.

Tickets/Service Reservations/Donate

Additional Information

Elul Sessions

In Jewish tradition, the month of Elul is a time of repentance in preparation for the High Holy Days. At Kol Ami, it is our tradition to prepare for the High Holy Days with learning sessions. Please join as members of the White Plains Jewish community gather together to study and prepare for the High Holy Days. The study sessions and musical programs will cover preparing for the High Holy Days and will be held on Tuesday, September 2nd at 7:0PM in the Chapel; Wednesday, September 17th at 7:00PM with the five synagogues of White Plains at [INSERT LOCATION]; and Thursday, September 18th at Noon (followed by a luncheon in the Gallery).
Clergy Meet & Greet

On Friday, September 19th, following our Kabbalat Shabbat worship service, members are invited to join a special reception with Rabbi Jason Fenster, Rabbi Libby Fisher, Cantor Danny Mendelson and Temple Leadership to exchange New Year greetings with us, and with each other, and receive a holiday challah with apples and honey compliments of the Kol Ami Sisterhood.
Memorial Book & Yahrzeit Memorial Plaques

For many of us, the High Holy Days are a time of remembrance. It has been a long-standing custom at Kol Ami to honor the memory of loved ones in our Memorial Book and/or with a Yahrzeit memorial plaque. If you would like to include your loved ones in our Memorial Book, the deadline for submission is September 19th. A sample of last year’s memorial book can be found here.

Memorial book and plaque requests may be made when you make your ticket selections.
Kever Avot -Visiting The Gravesite of Loved Ones

It is a long standing Jewish tradition to visit the grave sites of loved ones in the period surrounding the High Holy Days. While a personal visit to the cemetery is the preferred way to fulfill this mitzvah it is not always possible. Thanks to the internet and a website called FindaGrave, those buried in Congregation Kol Ami plots, family members interred at other cemeteries anywhere in the world and those whose only memorial is in our minds and hearts, may be visited virtually.

One feature of FindaGrave is the ability to create a virtual cemetery. A virtual cemetery gathers memorials of people who are interred in various physical cemeteries into one, online location. The Congregation Kol Ami Virtual Cemetery lists all interments in Kol Ami plots at Mount Hope and Mount Pleasant cemeteries. In addition, memorials for people who are buried around the globe, or whose ashes may have been scattered in the winds and waters of the planet, may be included in our virtual Kol Ami cemetery.

By clicking the name of an individual, you will be taken to his or her memorial page. There, you will find a photograph of the gravestone or other memorial (e.g. a plaque on a bench), as well as information taken from the stone, such as dates of birth and death. A few of the listings include biographical information entered by the creator of the memorial page.

For questions about the virtual cemetery or to have a name added, please contact our congregant and genealogist, Alan S.
Rosh Hashanah Community Potluck Oneg

We look forward to welcoming in the New Year as one community at our Erev Rosh Hashanah service. Please bring your favorite nut-free dessert to our congregational oneg which will immediately follow our Erev Rosh Hashanah service on Monday, September 22nd at 7:30pm. Weather permitting, our oneg will be outside.
Yom Kippur Food Drive

Our food drive continues to fulfill a critical need. So many families within our congregational community and throughout Westchester County struggle with food insecurity. Grocery bags will be distributed on Rosh Hashanah. Please fill the grocery bags with non-perishable food items and bring them back to Kol Ami on Yom Kippur. All food will be donated to Feeding Westchester
Prayer Books For In-home Worship

If you wish to purchase a copy of the Mishkan HaNefesh prayer book for your in-home worship, you may do so on Amazon (Kindle or Print Edition) or CCAR Press (Print Edition).

A copy of the Mourner’s Kadish and other readings can be found on our Yom Kippur Memorial Service page.
Accessibility

We have several ways to improve access to our services for persons with hearing, visual or mobility challenges including large print prayer books, closed captioning on our streaming service and hearing assistance devices. In addition, our Sanctuary has a ramp for access to the Bima. If you have any questions, please contact the main office at (914) 949-4717.
Health, Safety & Security

Emergency medical support will be available in our Gallery during all High Holy Day services. Congregants who are medical professionals will be on call to provide immediate, on-site support if needed.
We continue to enjoy a strong partnership with the White Plains Police Department and as usual we will be working with them to implement our security plan for all High Holy Day services. Our entire facility is carefully inspected prior to services and the White Plains Police will be on site to observe our buildings and grounds and monitor the various spaces where we gather and worship.
Cell Phones & Electronics

To minimize distraction during our services, we ask that all cell phones be turned off or muted and not used in the building during worship services. Please leave other electronic devices at home. We ask parents to support this policy and communicate this request to their family.