Join us for meaningful, joyous services to welcome in the Jewish year 5783!
- Selichot — Sat, Sept 17
- Rosh Hashanah – Mon, Sept 26 – Tues, Sept 27
- Yom Kippur – Tues eve, Oct 4 – Wed, Oct 5
Please plan to join us back at Hart House for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. We look forward to safely celebrating, reflecting, and singing our way through the Days of Awe together with you! (Please read about our Covid precautions, including mask, vaccine and booster requirements.) Registration opens to Makom members later this summer.
Our uplifting, inspiring High Holiday offerings will include traditional services, family services, chanting, and meditation.
Traditional services will be led jointly by Rabbi Aaron Levy and Carrie Watkins. Our Youth Director Ariel Zaltzman will run the family services, and meditation will be guided by Ari Kaplan.
Makom Membership includes High Holiday seats along with other perks throughout the year, and is available for adults, children, and teens. Everyone who signs up as a member will receive a link to the High Holidays registration form once it opens. (We won’t be selling separate High Holiday tickets.)
You can become a Makom Member no matter your financial circumstances. Due to the pandemic, we’ve lowered our regular and reduced membership rates. It’s a core Makom value that finances should never be an impediment to Jewish life, so if neither of those amounts is feasible for you, please pay what you can.
If you can afford to contribute more than the regular membership rate, please become a supporting or sustaining member to help keep our community going strong.
All Makom Membership donations are fully tax deductible.
We look forward to welcoming 5783 with you!
High Holidays FAQ
Q: What do Traditional Services look like at Makom?
A: Makom’s Traditional Services are joyous and uplifting. We encourage you to participate by singing out loud! (Whether you or not you read Hebrew, you can join in by singing “nay nay nay” or drumming on your chair.)
Our Traditional Services are in Hebrew, following the Koren-Sacks Nusach Sefard machzor. Men and women lead different parts of the services, and we will have three seating sections: women’s, men’s, and mixed (all-gender), separated by a low curtain.
Q: Do I need to bring my own Machzor (High Holiday prayer book)?
A: You do not need to bring your own Machzor as we have them available. We use the Koren-Sacks Nusach Sefard machzor, which has Hebrew text and English translation and commentary.
Q: Why do you use Nusach Sefard?
Nusach Sefard includes elements of both Ashkenazi and Sephardi liturgy, and has traditionally been used by the Jewish synagogues in downtown Toronto.
Q: What do Family Services look like at Makom?
A: Family Services will take place in the morning on each day of Rosh Hashanah and on Yom Kippur. They will involve songs, stories, and fun activities.
There will be two separate Family Services on each day. One will be geared to kids age 0-5, and the other to kids age 6-10.
Q: Do I need to be a member to attend High Holiday services at Makom?
A: This year, we won’t be selling separate High Holiday tickets. Instead, registration will be open only to Makom members. You can see our rates and sign up for membership here. It’s a core Makom value that finances should never be an impediment to Jewish life, so if our reduced membership rate is not feasible for you, please pay what you can.
Q: Will services be accessible?
A: Services will be held at Hart House, which has step-free access from street level, and has an elevator. Please note that due to construction, there may be limited parking nearby.
Q: What should I wear?
A: You don’t need to dress formally (unless you’d like to). Wear something that seems nice and/or holy to you and will be comfortable and conducive for standing, sitting, lots of singing, and bowing.
Q: What are your Covid precautions?
A: Please see our Covid precautions for High Holidays (including mask, vaccine and booster requirements).