Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services are times of spiritual renewal for many of our Kol Ami community. We offer early and late seating for our evening and morning services. Youth services (grades 3-6) are offered concurrently with each morning service, while youth in grades 7 and above are welcome and encouraged to attend services in the Sanctuary. On both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur afternoons, a service for families of young children is open to the community. Members of the White Plains Synagogues join us for a community Tashlich service on the second day of Rosh Hashanah. The Yom Kippur services end with Yizkor (a service in remembrance of our loved ones) and Neilah (the dramatic closing service of Yom Kippur) and a beautiful Havdalah ceremony with our children.

Professional childcare is available during most of our services and must be registered for in advance. Specific service times are always printed on your tickets.

Please enjoy this guide to spiritual preparation for the eve of Yom Kippur, before you leave your home.

Sukkot is a very exciting time at Kol Ami. Our teenagers assist families in building their own Sukkot while our younger children decorate the Congregation’s sukkah. Young and old join together on Erev Sukkot for a fun filled evening of more Sukkah decorating, crafts, music, dinner and services.

Celebrate with our Hanukkah Experience where we have crafts, dreidle games, music, services, dinner and the lighting of the Hanukkah menorah.

Holiday Blessings
Click here for a copy of the Hanukkah blessings or click the green arrow below to hear Cantor Mo sing the Hanukkah blessing.

Children and adults join together in the sacred task of memory and hope as we remember together the destruction of European Jewry. Survivors of the Shoah, together with our students, witness together the possibilities of courage, goodness and hope.

On Passover, worship services are held the mornings of the first and last days. On the last day of Passover our worship service includes Yizkor, a service of remembrance for our loved ones.

Evening study and candle-lit service inaugurate the 24-hour fast day set aside for the remembrance of the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem 2,500 and 2,000 years ago.  This year, 2010/5770, Erev Tisha B'Av begins on Monday evening, July 19th and continues through sundown on Tuesday, July 20th.

On Erev Simchat Torah we mark the Consecration of students who are beginning their religious school education, as we welcome them into Jewish learning. Then in celebration of our completing and beginning anew the reading of the torah we dance around the sanctuary and social hall with our Torah scrolls to the music of our congregation’s own band. Join us again on Simchat Torah morning as we read the concluding chapter of Deuteronomy and immediately start again with Genesis as a sign of the continuous reading of Torah. The service concludes with Yizkor, a service of remembrance for our loved ones.

Adults and children come dressed in costume to enjoy our annual Purim spiel and celebrate with the reading of the Megillah. The celebrations continue with our Purim Carnival run by our youth group and adult only Purim Gala and Masked Ball.

On Erev Shavuot, we celebrate the giving of the Torah to Israel at Mt. Sinai with Confirmation. At this point in their on-going Jewish education, our tenth-graders celebrate a public affirmation of their commitment to live as Jews. On Shavuot morning, our worship service includes Yizkor, a service of remembrance for our loved ones.