Every year around this time, we wish each other a good and sweet new year. While it may be obvious why we wish each other a good year, why do we wish each other a sweet year specifically? Rosh Hashanah is not the only time honey appears in our Jewish pantry. Traditionally, a newly married couple dips their Shabbat challah in honey, replacing the salt which normally tops our challot. For that year, they mark the beginning of their new relationship with something that's sweet, an edible blessing for what they hope to manifest in their lives. So too for Rosh Hashanah–We add sweetness to our palate with the intention of manifesting that sweet new year.

This year, as in the previous two years, we are offering the option to participate in services virtually as well as in person. The remodel of our sanctuary is well on the way to be completed, but, unfortunately, we will not be able to fill it with the prayers of our hearts. However, there will be an opportunity to view the construction, and we are excited to be able to showcase how transformative the new space is. Main services will take place in Srochi Auditorium with overflow seating available in Ellman Chapel where services will be live streamed. In addition to the main services, we will offer several shorter services geared towards families in the outdoor tent. Children's programming, which has been absent the past couple years, is coming back and will run parallel to our main service.

Due to the physical limitations of our worship spaces, seating is somewhat restricted—For this reason, it's even more important that you register this year. If you would like to join us in person (for services or children's programming), you do not need a ticket, but registration is required. In-person attendance will be on a strictly first register, first served basis–If spots become filled, walk-ins on the day of services will not be permitted.

For all information relating to the 5783 High Holidays, please use this High Holiday Hub as a source of everything you'll need as you navigate your High Holiday spiritual experience. On the days of services you will have access to the live-streamed services. We will continue to make updates as new information is made available.

Thanks to you, our holy community, our congregation is on a sound financial footing today. Although we are making progress and are in a better place than last year, we still have many challenges this year, and most of our congregation will not be able to attend Yom Kippur services in person. We need your help. Please consider participating in our Yom Kippur Appeal/Chai Campaign if you have not already done so; you may send in a check, or donate online. Thank you in advance for your generosity and continued support.

Wishing you and your families "shanah tovah u'metukah"—a good and sweet year!

Registration

You don't need a ticket, but registration is required for the in-person services and children's programming.

Service Schedule

From Selichot through Yom Kippur... view the full schedule of services and programming.

Click Here

Youth and Family

Learn about children's programming, family services, and volunteer opportunities.

Click Here

Machzorim

Everything you need to know about machzorim: digital access, instructional classes, and hard copy loaners.

Click Here

Yom Kippur Appeal/
Chai Campaign

Together there is no limit to what we can accomplish.

Donate

Operation Isaiah

Donate to our annual hunger initiative.

Donate

AARI Elul Campaign

Volunteer with the Ahavath Achim Refugee Initiative (AARI) to support newly arriving refugees in Georgia.

Click Here

Covid-19
Safety Protocol

Review the safety protocol for the in-person experiences.

Click Here

Handicap Parking

Review the safety protocol for handicap parking.

Click Here

Lulav and Etrog

Enhance your celebration of the Sukkot holiday with a set of the Four Species.

Order

See you in 5783!

If you'd like to make a donation to the Yom Kippur Appeal/Chai Campaign or Operation Isaiah, you may still do so through our online donation form.

Live streaming will be available through the video box below. Simply click "play" when services are to begin. You may also access services via Zoom. To access the Zoom links, please refer to the service schedule.

Selichot – Saturday, September 17
7:15 p.m	Mincha/Ma’ariv/Havdallah Service	Hybrid: Ellman Chapel and Virtual (Zoom) Join Zoom
8:10 p.m.	Selichot Service	Hybrid: Ellman Chapel and Virtual (Zoom) Join Zoom
Erev Rosh Hashanah – Sunday, September 25
9–10:30 a.m.	Morning Minyan	Virtual (Zoom) Join Zoom
6:00 p.m.	Mincha/Ma’ariv Service	Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom) Join Zoom
7:12 p.m.	Candle Lighting
Rosh Hashanah Day 1 – Monday, September 26
8–9:00 a.m.	Coffee and Schmooze Co-sponsored by Sisterhood	In-Person: Garden
8:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.	Rosh Hashanah Service	Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom and Live Stream) Join Zoom
9–10:00 a.m.	Family Service	In-Person: Outdoor Tent
9:30–10:30 a.m.	Torah Study Led by Dr. Andrew Zangwill “Happy Birthday World!”: After each Rosh Hashanah shofar blast, we chant a short poem which begins “hayom harat olam,” a phrase often translated as “today the world was born.”  This session examines this (and other) translations of ”hayom harat olam”  and teases out their meaning for us today. Andy Zangwill is a native of Pittsburgh and is somehow related to the British Zionist Israel Zangwill. He has taught physics at Georgia Tech since 1985 and has helped administer the AA Torah Study since 2000.	Hybrid: Cavalier Room and Virtual (Zoom) Join Zoom
10:00 a.m.–End of RH Service	Children’s Programming (0–5th Grade)	In-Person: Check-In at Ahava ELC
12:30–1:00 p.m.	Oneg and Light Kiddush	In-Person: Garden
6–7:00 p.m.	Mincha/Ma’ariv Service	Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom and Live Stream) Join Zoom
7:54 p.m.	Candle Lighting
Rosh Hashanah Day 2 – Tuesday, September 27
8–9:00 a.m.	Coffee and Schmooze	In-Person: Garden
8:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.	Rosh Hashanah Service	Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom and Live Stream) Join Zoom
9:00 a.m.–End of RH Service	Children’s Programming (0–5th Grade)	In-Person: Check-In at Ahava ELC
9:30 a.m.	Torah Study Led by Dr. Paul Feldman “From Yom Teruah to Rosh Hashanah – A Rabbinic Journey”: The torah instructs us that, on the first day of the seventh month, there should be “teruah.” From that, it becomes a New Year where, hopefully, our Father, our King, inscribes us in the book of life. Let’s explore the rabbinic mindset that defines us as Jews. Paul Feldman has attended AA’s Shabbat Torah Study religiously for over 20 years. His interests include the historical aspects of Tanakh and the intellectual history of b’nai Yisrael through the ages.	Hybrid: Paradies Hall and Virtual (Zoom) Join Zoom
12:30 p.m.	Tashlich	In-Person: Outdoor Tent
7:30 p.m.	Mincha/Ma’ariv/Havdallah Service	Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom and Live Stream) Join Zoom
Aseret Y’mei Teshuva (Ten Days of Repentance) – Sunday, October 2
9–10:30 a.m.	Morning Minyan	Virtual (Zoom) Join Zoom
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.	Family Taslich and Picnic with Shofar Blowing	In-Person: Morgan Falls Overlook Park
2–4:00 p.m.	Reverse Tashlich	In-Person: Peachtree Creek Greenway Register
6–7:00 p.m.	Evening Minyan	Virtual (Zoom) Join Zoom
Kol Nidre – Tuesday, October 4
5–5:30 pm	Family Service	Hybrid: Breezeway and Virtual (Zoom and Live Stream) Join Zoom
5:30–6:15 p.m.	Vegan Kapparot Yom Kippur challenges us to cleanse our souls from missteps over the past year. Our tradition seeks to imbue the ethereal nature of our good and evil, right a wrong into an object that can be consumed, cast out, or flung away. Kapparot seeks to take that which is weighing us down and swing it over our heads, casting it far away from us. We have reclaimed this medieval ritual for our modern spiritual life, replacing the killing of a chicken with the righteous act of tzedakah. Join Rabbi Rosenthal in the garden as we will recite our prayers, imbue a bag of money with our regrets for the past year, and swing it over our heads, thereby turning our shortcomings into acts of loving kindness to help others. Farmer Joe and his chicken will be on site… for petting only.	In-Person: Garden
6:10 p.m.	Mincha Service	Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom and Live Stream) Join Zoom
6:30 p.m.	Kol Nidre Service
7:00 p.m.	Ma’ariv Service
Yom Kippur – Wednesday, October 5
8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.	Yom Kippur and Yizkor Services Yizkor Service begins around 12:30 p.m. 5783 Yizkor Book Supplement	Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom and Live Stream) Join Zoom
9–10:00 a.m.	Family Service	In-Person: Outdoor Tent
9:30–10:30 a.m.	Torah Study Led by Judy Marx “Everything Old is New Again”: This session explores how understanding our history through Yom Kippur’s Torah reading and liturgy lead us to repentance and forgiveness. Judy Marx is a long-time Jewish community professional. She was the Atlanta Director of the American Jewish Committee for twelve years and is currently with the Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta. In her free time she consults with interfaith organizations and prepares for Torah Study at AA.	Hybrid: Cavalier Room and Virtual (Zoom) Join Zoom
10:00 a.m.–End of YK Service	Children’s Programming (0–5th Grade)	In-Person: Check-In at Ahava ELC
2:30–4:00 p.m.	Beit Midrash (Study Hall) Led by Dr. Dennis Gilbride “The Golden Calf, Consuming Fire, Atonement, and Forgiveness”: This session focuses on two relatively well known, but under-studied stories in the Torah: the Golden Calf and the death of Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu.  By exploring midrashim and ideas that tie these two episodes together, we will provide an interesting and provocative understanding of the Jewish approach to atonement, forgiveness, and connection to G-d. Dennis Gilbride has been a professor for 32 years, first at Syracuse University and, for the last ten years, at Georgia State University in its Department of Counseling and Psychological Services. He began his career at Drake University in Des Moines Iowa where he and his family were congregants of Neil Sandler, AA’s Rabbi Emeritus.	Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom) Join Zoom
4–6:30 p.m.	Chanting with SunMoonPie	Hybrid: Paradies Hall and Virtual (Zoom) Join Zoom
5:30 p.m.	Mincha Service Reading of the Book of Jonah	Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom and Live Stream) Join Zoom
6:30 p.m.	Neilah Service
7:41 p.m.	Ma’ariv/Havdallah and Final Shofar Blast

Schedule

1st Day Rosh Hashanah – Monday, September 26

9–10:00 a.m.: Family Service
10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.: Children’s Programming (0–5th Grade)

2nd Day Rosh Hashanah – Tuesday, September 27

9:00 a.m.–End of RH Service: Children’s Programming (0–5th Grade)

Kol Nidre – Tuesday, October 4

5–5:30 pm: Family Service

Yom Kippur – Wednesday, October 5

9–10:00 a.m.: Family Service
10:00 a.m.–End of YK Service: Children’s Programming (0–5th Grade)

Children's Programming

Children will enjoy interactive activities (0-3 years old), age-appropriate interactive instructional activities (Pre-K-5th grade), supervised free time on the playground, and hearty snacks.

Family Services

Rabbi Sam Blustin will lead a family-friendly musical service on Rosh Hashanah Day 1, Kol Nidre, and Yom Kippur.

Cost and Registration

The cost for children’s programming is $15 per child per day to help us offset the cost of staff, materials, and food throughout the day. There is no cost to attend family services.

Registration is required to participate in children’s programming and family services.

Volunteer Opportunities

Families who are making use of children’s programming/childcare are encouraged to volunteer for a one-hour shift over the course of the holidays. Volunteers may be asked to help with check in, snack preparation, or supervision. You will have the opportunity to volunteer as part of the registration form.

Children in 6th grade and above are encouraged to attend the main holiday services in Srochi Auditorium with parents or volunteer with our youth programming. Please email the Director of Education if your child would like to volunteer: Sharon Graetz ([email protected]).

New Machzor Pick-Up

The new machzorim are in! If you ordered the new Lev Shalem Machzor, you may come pick it up during the week of September 6–9 during regular business hours (9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.).

Personally-purchased machzorim will NOT be available for pick-up on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. If you attend services in person and have not picked up your machzor(im), you will be asked to use a “loaner” from the synagogue’s collection. In order to receive a machzor on loan, you will be asked to leave your driver’s license at the front desk until the end of services.

Digital Machzor

If you plan to attend services virtually, an electronic copy of the machzor is available online here.

Instructional Classes

New machzor, but don’t know how to use it? Join the rabbis to learn more about what the new machzor offers and how it might enhance your High Holiday experience.

New Machzor Deep Dive Class with Rabbi Rosenthal: Wednesdays, August 31, September 7, and September 21; 5–6:00 p.m.; Zoom

New Machzor Overview Class with Rabbi Blustin:

In-Person: Saturday, September 10; 12:30–1:30 p.m.; Paradies Hall
Hybrid: Sunday, September 11; 10–11:00 am; Ellman Chapel; Zoom

If you missed a class, you can watch the recordings on our YouTube channel here.

During the High Holidays of years past, our congregants would bring hundreds of bags of food to our shul. This year, for the the 2022 Operation Isaiah initiative, we will collect both monetary and food donations.

Monetary donations collected will benefit the Atlanta Community Food Bank and the JF&CS Food Pantry. Food donations can be dropped off at the synagogue during Sukkot. All food will be donated to the JF&CS Food Pantry. More information on most needed food items can be found on the JF&CS website.

Your contributions will enable the Atlanta Community Food Bank and JF&CS to help feed those in our community who are food insecure.

Please click on the link below to make your donation today! If you would like to donate by check, please make it out to Ahavath Achim Synagogue, and write Operation Isaiah in the memo line. Check can be mailed or dropped off at the synagogue.

Under “Choose the type of donation you would like to make,” select “Fund”>”Operation Isaiah.”

Updates

Many of our committees and initiatives have agreed to host and share their beautiful sukkot around Atlanta with all of us. Everybody, whether assembling a welcome kit or not, is invited to come together for the holiday of Sukkot!

If you have pledged to assemble a welcome kit, one of these sukkot parties will function as your drop-off location. Bring your kit to the sukkah, and an AARI Committee member will ensure it makes its way to the Welcome Co-Op, our partner in caring for the newly arriving refugees. Additionally, each sukkah party will have all the supplies needed to assemble a bag so more can support and share our abundance with those in need.

Below is a list of the sukkah parties going on around Atlanta. You do not need to be a part of the host’s community (i.e. involved in Kesher, Sisterhood, mAAc, etc.) to join a particular sukkah party. If you love AA Synagogue and are a part of our spiritual family, you are welcome to any party that is convenient to you. (And just think: You might meet somebody new and make a new friend.) Join a Sukkah party, enjoy snacks and camaraderie, and assemble a welcome kit for a newly arriving refugee family. We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate the holiday of sukkot as a community!

mAAc Sukkah Party: Wednesday, October 12, 1–3 p.m., Ahavath Achim Synagogue (600 Peachtree Battle Ave, NW Atlanta GA 30327)

Kesher Sukkah Parties:

Wednesday, October 12, 5 –7 p.m., Home of Sara and Mark Papier (3231 Hunterdon Way SE, Marietta, GA 30067)
Thursday, October 13, 6–8 p.m.
- Home of Elana and Ben Yonas (1841 McLendon Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30307)
- Home of Heleen and Steve Grossman (5170 Trimble Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30342)

Sisterhood Sukkah Party: Thursday, October 13, 6:30 –8:30 p.m., Ahavath Achim Synagogue (600 Peachtree Battle Ave, NW Atlanta GA 30327)

Meshorerim (Spiritual Music) Sukkah Party: Saturday, October 15 7–9 p.m., Home of Bonnie and Michael Levine (460 Gift Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30316)

Interfaith Inclusion Committee (IIC) Sukkah Party: Sunday, October 16, 1–3 p.m., Ahavath Achim Synagogue (600 Peachtree Battle Ave, NW Atlanta, GA 30327)

Inclusion and Belonging Committee Sukkah Party: Sunday, October 16, 1–4 p.m., Home of Shelly and Allan Dollar (2192 Greencliff Drive Atlanta, GA 30345)

There are many that have been forced to flee their homelands to come to a new country, fearful, and facing uncertainty. Most of us are only two or three generations distant from those refugee experiences ourselves, grateful our families survived the life-threatening turmoil in their homelands and could receive any help their new communities could offer. During the month of Elul and through the High Holidays, the AARI is launching the Elul Campaign as a way for the AA community to make an impact. As a part of this campaign, volunteers will assemble welcome kits to be given to refugee families as they arrive in Georgia (kit contents detailed below). We often have to purchase personal items for people to place in their homes, so having these kits on hand is of tremendous help and saves families money.

Volunteers can do this activity in whichever location and on whichever timeline they’d like. All items should be placed in a container (reusable shopping bags are recommended), and label each kit so we know what/who it’s for. It’s a good idea to re-enforce products with liquid contents with tape to prevent spillage.

Welcome kits need to be dropped off during the holiday of Sukkot (October 11–16). After Yom Kippur, a full list of dates, times, and locations of the many sukkot around town will be emailed to volunteers. Volunteers will choose a convenient sukkah to which to deliver the welcome kit(s). Volunteers are asked to hold on to welcome kit(s) until they can be delivered to the sukkah of their choosing. Deliveries are meant to be social events, so volunteers should plan to drop off the kit(s) and socialize a bit before leaving.

Volunteers who are unable deliver to a sukkah should email Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal ([email protected]) who will arrange for one of the AARI Task Force members to pick up the kit(s) from their home.

Household Kit

Drinking glasses (4 regular size)
Light bulbs (4-pack)
Small and large kitchen knives (1 of each)
Dish detergent (regular size)
Scouring powder (regular size)
Sponges (2-pack, kitchen)
Trash bags (box, tall kitchen)
Laundry deterg. (reg. size liquid or powder)
Can opener (manual)
Notebook (spiral or composition)
Pack of pens
Shower curtain and rings

Female Kit

Male Kit

Child Kit (Girl or Boy)

We rely on each member of the community to keep each other safe. While there is no guarantee of safety in attending in-person experience, the following is intended to mitigate risk and exposure as much as possible, while providing for a meaningful in-person experience.

Prayer Services and Gatherings:

Participants are STRONGLY encouraged to wear a mask throughout services and to any indoor events.
All food and eating will take place in our outdoor covered spaces (even in rainy weather).
We will utilize outdoor spaces whenever possible for social events.

Returning to the Synagogue Following a Positive COVID-19 Test:

Do not come to the synagogue if you are experiencing any communicable symptoms of illness: COVID-19, cold, or flu.
Do not come to any gatherings if a roommate has an active infection or is in quarantine.
If you test positive for COVID-19, you may return to the synagogue only after ALL of the following are true: you have waited five days from a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis; you are fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication); your symptoms are improving.
For more information about returning to the community and/or to use a quarantine calculator, please refer to the CDC guidelines.

The upper parking lot will be reserved for handicap parking. In order to park in the upper lot, visitors must have a government-registered handicap parking permit/tag. Spot availability will function on a strictly first come, first served basis. Non-handicap parking will be available in the lower lot. Visitors are welcome to make drop-offs in the carpool lane in front of the breezway/Cohen Pavilion entrance.

Registration

Service Schedule

Youth and Family

Machzorim

Yom Kippur Appeal/Chai Campaign

Operation Isaiah

AARI Elul Campaign

Covid-19Safety Protocol

Handicap Parking

Lulav and Etrog

See you in 5783!

Schedule

Children's Programming

Family Services

Cost and Registration

Volunteer Opportunities

New Machzor Pick-Up

Digital Machzor

Instructional Classes

*Updates*

Yom Kippur Appeal/
Chai Campaign

Covid-19
Safety Protocol

Updates