Welcome
L’Shanah Tovah Tikateivu!
Congregation B’nai Israel warmly welcomes you to our High Holy Days services. Our programming and learning opportunities are designed to fit the diverse spiritual needs of our congregants and guests. Many services this year will be offered both in person and via YouTube Livestream. Please refer to the schedule below for location details and Livestream links when applicable.
We recommend bookmarking this page and checking back for the latest updates!
Important Notes:
- For our CBI members:
- High Holy Days name badges will be available for pickup at CBI starting Monday, August 28: during our regular office hours, at Friday Evening Shabbat Services, on Sunday mornings at Kulanu, or at the Hospitality Table prior to each High Holy Days service.
- CBI member children under 13 do not need a name badge; member children ages 13–26 will be provided with a name badge.
- CBI single-member households may request one complimentary guest pass by completing the guest pass request form at least one week prior to the service(s).
- Traveling and need to attend services at another temple this year? Please complete the Reciprocal Ticket Request Form at least 30 days prior to the service(s) to allow time for processing.
- High Holy Days name badges will be available for pickup at CBI starting Monday, August 28: during our regular office hours, at Friday Evening Shabbat Services, on Sunday mornings at Kulanu, or at the Hospitality Table prior to each High Holy Days service.
- Guest Passes:
- If you are not a member and would like to join us for services, please click here for information about guest passes.
- Active duty military, National Guard and Reserve personnel on extended active duty, and college students may attend our worship services at no charge, with a valid military or student ID card. Please email exec-assistant@bnais.com at least a week in advance to let us know what service(s) you are planning to attend, so we can have a complimentary pass/name badge ready for you.
- Click here for Apples & Honey Youth High Holy Days Program registration.
- Please contact Leslie Oberst, Executive Director, for any special accommodations needed (e.g., listening devices, large print siddurs, or reserved parking).
- Interested in becoming a CBI member? Learn more and join now!
A Community of Safety & Resilience
As we prepare to gather for the High Holy Days, please be mindful of the following when visiting CBI:
- Wearing a mask indoors is recommended, but optional. Masks will be available in the Sanctuary foyers prior to services.
- It is recommended that congregants and guests be vaccinated for COVID-19 and stay up to date with boosters as eligible. Proof of COVID vaccination is not required to attend synagogue events.
- Please sit where you feel most comfortable and allow spacing if desired.
- If you are not feeling well, please err on the side of caution — stay home, take care of yourself, and join us via YouTube Livestream.
- All CBI COVID-19 guidelines are subject to change as the situation merits. Visit cbisacramento.org/covidupdate.
- “Kindness is Always Welcome” — thank you for your consideration and understanding. Very best wishes for a healthy, happy new year!
► Leil S’lichot
Saturday, September 9
7:30 PM: Dessert, Wine, and Coffee | Potluck reception – please bring a dessert or bottle of wine to share.
8:00 PM: Havdalah | In-Person & YouTube Livestream
8:15 PM: Study Session: Led by Rabbi Mona Alfi, "Jewish? Not Jewish? The Wisdom of Barbie" | In-Person & YouTube Livestream
10:00 PM: S'lichot Service | In-Person & YouTube Livestream
► Erev Rosh Hashanah
Friday, September 15 – CBI office closes at Noon
7:30 PM: Erev Rosh Hashanah Service | In-Person & YouTube Livestream
Apples & Honey | Childcare program for ages 3–10. Check-in begins at 7:15 PM in the Sosnick Library. Please register in advance.
► Rosh Hashanah
Saturday, September 16
9:00 AM: Family Service | CBI Sanctuary
All congregants and guests are welcome for Family Services – tickets and registration are not required.
10:00 AM: Rosh Hashanah Service | In-Person & YouTube Livestream
Apples & Honey | Childcare program for ages 3–10. Check-in begins at 9:45 AM in the Opper Courtyard. Please register in advance.
10:00 AM: Teen Service led by BISY (for grades 8 and up)
1:30 PM: Rosh Hashanah Reception (immediately following the service) hosted by Women of B'nai Israel
3:00 PM: Tashlich | Mayor Anne Rudin Peace Pond, Land Park | In Person & YouTube Livestream
3:00 PM: Teen Picnic | Mayor Anne Rudin Peace Pond, Land Park
► Rosh Hashanah Day Two
Sunday, September 17
No Kulanu (Religious School)
► Shabbat Shuvah
Friday, September 22
7:30 PM: Shabbat Evening Service | In Person & YouTube Livestream
Saturday, September 23
10:30 AM: Kavanah Shabbat | In Person: Harry M. Tonkin Memorial Chapel
Kavanah Shabbat celebrates Shabbat Shuvah, the Shabbat in the middle of the ten Days of Awe. Join us for this very special contemplative service focusing on T'Shuvah, returning to our pure soul and our best selves on Yom Kippur.
► Community Memorial Service
Sunday, September 24
11:00 AM: Home of Peace, 6200 Stockton Blvd., Sacramento, 95824
► Kol Nidrei
Sunday, September 24
7:30 PM: Kol Nidrei Service | In Person & YouTube Livestream
Apples & Honey | Childcare program for ages 3–10. Check-in begins at 7:15 PM in the Sosnick Library. Please register in advance.
► Yom Kippur
Monday, September 25 – CBI office closed
9:00 AM: Family Service | CBI Sanctuary
All congregants and guests are welcome for Family Services – tickets and registration are not required.
10:00 AM: Yom Kippur Morning Service | In-Person & YouTube Livestream
Apples & Honey | Childcare program for ages 3–10. Check-in begins at 9:45 AM in the Opper Courtyard. Please register in advance.
10:00 AM: Teen Service led by BISY (for grades 8 and up)
1:15 PM: Choice of Afternoon Enrichment Sessions
- Panel Discussion: "Israel at a Crossroads: What Can We Do and Why Does It Matter?"
Moderator: Rabbi Mona Alfi | Panelists: Jennifer Kaufman, Chair of the North American Board of the URJ; CBI congregants Tamar Griner and Uri Griner; and Brian Landsberg, Chair ofthe Sacramento-Davis Chapter of J Street | In Person: Sanctuary & YouTube Livestream - Study Session with Rabbi Stacy Petersohn: "How Does it Work? T'shuvah and the Justice System" | In Person: Sosnick Library
- Meditation Session with Rabbi Deni Deutsch Marshall: Jewish Meditation Before the Gates of Prayer Close | In Person: Harry M. Tonkin Memorial Chapel
2:45 PM: Yom Kippur Afternoon Service | In-Person & YouTube Livestream
5:00 PM: Yizkor (Memorial) Service | In-Person & YouTube Livestream
Please log in to view CBI's 2023 Yizkor Book of Remembrance.
5:30 PM: Neilah Service | In Person & YouTube Livestream
Join in the call of the shofar! Everyone is welcome to bring their shofars (real ones, please; not plastic) to the Neilah Service.
6:30 PM: Break-the-Fast (immediately following the service) hosted by CBI Brotherhood
► Erev Sukkot Harvest Festival Dinner & Shabbat Service
Friday, September 29
6:00 PM: Join us for festival blessings and a potluck dinner. CBI will provide a delicious main dish; last names beginning with A–L, please bring a side to share; last names M–Z, please bring a dessert to share. All ages are welcome.
7:30 PM: Shabbat Evening Service | In-Person & YouTube Livestream
► Sukkot Yizkor
Friday, October 6 | 9:30 AM
Yizkor (Memorial) Service: with Rabbi Mona Alfi and Cantor Julie Steinberg | Harry M. Tonkin Memorial Chapel
Please log in to view CBI's 2023 Yizkor Book of Remembrance.
Simchat Torah Celebration – Rejoice with the Torah!
Congregation B'nai Israel welcomes you to join our outdoor Simchat Torah Celebration with dancing and festival fun for all ages!
Friday, October 6, 2023 | 11th Avenue
5:30 PM: Dinner and Live Music
LIVE klezmer music by the Klez MeerKats
Bring a picnic dinner, or support our Confirmation Class by purchasing pizza and drinks. Click here to skip the line and receive special pricing when pre-purchasing your pizza meal!
CBI will provide caramel apple boats for dessert
6:00 PM: Simchat Torah Shabbat Service
GIVING
► Help Support the Central Downtown Food Basket
A CBI High Holy Days Tradition With a Modern Twist
Every year at this time, for over three decades, our congregation has filled our foyers with donations of canned goods and nonperishable food items for the Central Downtown Food Basket (CDFB). Thanks to CBI and other supporters, the CDFB feeds over 3,700 households in the greater Sacramento area. They host monthly food distributions and Pop-Up Pantries to meet the needs of families, seniors, Sac State students, and others in our community who are food insecure.
This year, in order to have the most impact, we encourage you to help "fill our foyers" with your generous support by making a monetary contribution directly to the CDFB. For every $1 donated to CDFB, they can obtain $20 worth of food. Donations can be made on the CDFB website (www.cdfb.org), or by dropping off a check (made payable to: Central Downtown Food Basket) in the collection boxes in our Sanctuary foyers. Bags of canned goods and nonperishable food items are still welcome.
In addition to supporting CDFB, please consider making a donation to Congregation B’nai Israel’s Caring Community Fund to support our fellow congregants.
RESOURCES
- Visit the Jonas Goldman Judaica Gift Shop for Shofars, New Year's cards, tallitot, and Judaica to meet your personal and gift needs.
