We are so excited for you to join us for Yom Kippur at Hinenu. In this season of new beginnings, we are so glad you will be with us on this journey.
A wonderful team of volunteers has been planning and preparing for months to make this season so special. Please find below information about logistics and some frequently asked questions you may have. With questions about anything at all, please contact highholydays@hinenubaltimore.org. To register (welcome!), click here. To make a donation (thanks!), click here.
Wearing white. Especially for Erev Yom Kippur, the Kol Nidre service, I invite you to wear all white, or a white top. We come clean, ready for another shot. If it is your practice to wear a kittlel, please do. It is in this wearing of shrouds that hover between life and death that we begin to physically engage with the questions of Yom Kippur.
Avoiding leather shoes. On Yom Kippur we abstain from earthly comforts--leather shoes are one of them. As is eating, sex, perfume. It is customary to wear sneakers to synagogue over the holiday in honor of this practice.
Communal Vidui. Over the course of the day we will be offering words of confession for ways we have missed the mark. We take accountability for one another by speaking these words aloud on all our behalf. Sometimes the words of the prayerbook do not reflect all we wish to say. So, I invite you to anonymously answer the following question: "I have missed the mark when..." Your words will be shared amidst the liturgy of our prayers.
Fasting, and a note on fasting.
Many of us will be fasting over Yom Kippur, neither drinking water nor eating food from sundown the night of the 18th to sundown the night of the 19th on the holiday. This continues our exploration of the separations between this world and the next. For some this is a holy practice that helps engage with the holiday. For some this is a harmful practice. Our tradition teaches that if fasting is harmful to your health, you are not only excused from the fast, but forbidden to do so. If abstaining from food will be aggravating to a history of disordered eating, other chronic health conditions, or pregnancy, please know your eating is just as much a service to the day as a fast, your modest meal is just as much a connection to your community through caring for your body. There will be orange juice and granola bars in the sensory relief room, and a blessing you can consider saying to sanctify your eating on Yom Kippur.
Remembering. The Yizkor memorial service following Yom Kippur morning services on Wednesday September 19th is open to all, and begins at 1:30pm. You are invited to bring a small picture or item that reminds you of beloveds who have died to place on a communal memorial table. You may wish to light a yizkor (memorial) candle for your family and friends at home before coming to Hinenu (please ensure the flame's safety!)
Supplies drive for No More Deaths. Sammy Didonato, A Hinenu members, will be driving to Arizona to volunteer with No More Deaths the third week of September. The organization is humanitarian group based in Southern Arizona dedicated to preventing the deaths of migrants in the desert, an estimated hundred die every year. We are asking members to help donate new socks, underwear, and size 8 (mens) shoes. Those are the items No More Deaths currently is in need of and any donations would be greatly appreciated! To donate please bring supplies to Homewood Friends Tuesday September 18th, or contact Sammy at samjdidonato@gmail.com or 443-534-9514.
Location
All services are at Homewood Friends Meeting (3107 North Charles Street Baltimore, MD 21218). Please enter through the front entrance and checkin at the registration table (folks who have not yet registered can do so there.)
Schedule
Kol Nidre, erev Yom Kippur service
Led by Miriam Avins and Rabbi Ariana
6:30-8:30pm Tuesday, September 18th
Childcare provided 6:30-8:30pm with Liora Ostroff
Yom Kippur morning service
9:30am-1:30pm
Led by David Marcovitz and Rabbi Ariana
Childcare provided 10-12pm with Liora Ostroff
Yizkor memorial service
Led by Rabbi Ariana
1:30-2:30pm
Book of Jonah reading
Led by Jonah Wilcox
5:45pm
Neilah end of Yom Kippur service
6:45pm
Led by Ever Hanna and Rabbi Ariana
Fast ends: 7:52pm
Break Fast
8:00pm
Bagels and spreads, catered by Hinenu
Parking
We do not have a parking lot. There is street parking around Homewood Friends and on the adjacent streets. There are many parking lots nearby where you can pay to park:
SP Parking: 3310 N Calvert St, Baltimore, MD 21218
University Baptist Church Parking Lot: 3501 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21218
There are a few accessible spots in front of the building, but they are public so we cannot ensure their use. If you need to be dropped off while a car is parked, we have wonderful greeters who will wait with you, or will be happy to show you to a seat!
Temperature
The space will be hot! Homewood cannot support air conditioners, so we will have open windows and blasting fans. We suggest that you bring water bottles and we encourage moving about the space as you need! There will be water coolers by the front lobby. As such, please wear clothing you will be comfortable in! There is no dress code, so wear clothing that you won't be too hot in. Many will be dressing up to celebrate the holiday, but expect a much more casual wardrobe at Hinenu High Holy Days!
Accessibility
We ask that everyone coming to services refrain from wearing perfumes or scents to support our fellow community members who are scent sensitive.
The space is accessible by a ramp to the front door.
Ushers will have copies of the rabbi's high holy day sermons, as well as headphone/microphone sets. If those resources are helpful to you, just ask an usher.
There will be reserved seated close to the center of the room.
The sensory relief room on the second floor will be a quiet space with snacks and drinks and things to fidget with. The room is an opportunity for the kol d'mama daka, the still small voice, a break from the input of the sanctuary! Feel free to linger there whenever you need.
Food
Break fast following Neilah services and the end of Yom Kippur will also be catered by Hinenu. There are no potlucks or meals coordinated by the congregation otherwise, but feel free to use our community Facebook page to find one!
Children
Children are always welcome in every service--their listening, shouting, tears, and chirps will only add to the same sounds coming from the adults! This year at the back of the room you'll find a "Prayground," a space with rugs, books, and toys for children to spend time in while families can still be in the service. We ask that parents stay with children in the Prayground. Bring a favorite story to share! There will be chess and puzzles for older children looking for something more entertaining than 4+ hours of Hebrew liturgy!
Programing for children ages 4 and up will be offered with Liora over Kol Nidre, 6:30-8:30pm on the 18th, and during Yom Kippur morning services from 10-12pm on the 19th.
Tallit + Kippah
We are grateful to Kol Tzedek in Philadelphia for lending us tallitot. It is customary to wear tallit at night just one time a year, on Kol Nidre. You are invited to bring or borrow a tallit to each service if it is your practice.