After careful consideration and advice from expert medical counsel, the Board of Trustees has decided to offer robust, virtual services to the majority of the congregation. With health and safety as our highest priority, we are unable to welcome all, or even a large portion of, congregants back into the building for in-person worship.

However, Temple Emanu-El has been open for the High Holy Days For 175 years, and we want 5781 to be no exception. Therefore, we are inviting up to 100 temple members to join us for services, assuming conditions remain safe for a smaller gathering. In a special gesture to honor members most profoundly affected by the pandemic we invite those who are:

• Front-line workers, first responders and medical professionals — those who had to work to provide essential services at the height of this pandemic
• Members who lost a loved one since Yom Kippur last year
• Members who had to cancel spring and summer life-cycle events due to quarantine

If you are within this cohort, we invite you to express your interest in joining us here.

Yes. In order to maintain the highest levels of safety and security, we are asking all members to express their interest in joining us for High Holy Day services this year. We will be in touch as additional details become available. Twenty-four hours prior to each in-person service, all attendees will be required to fill out a health screening form. No one will be admitted without both a ticket and an approved health screening form which was filled out no longer than 24 hours before arrival.

Members attending services this year will receive tickets via email a few days prior to the service. Each ticket will have an entry time and location, as we work to minimize the number of people in our lobby spaces at any given time.

Due to social distancing guidelines and the fact that services will be held in our Fifth Avenue Sanctuary only, we are unlikely to be able to accommodate members’ regular seating assignments this year. We will work hard to ensure that all members are seated with respect to their regular seating sections.

In-person services will strictly adhere to State and City Department of Health guidelines. Should those guidelines or circumstances change, our plans will be modified accordingly. Appropriate safety measures will be taken, including mandatory:

• Health-screening forms submitted within 24 hours prior to service attendance
• Temperature checks upon entry
• At least twelve-foot social distancing
• Mask-wearing at all times (for members of all ages, including children)
• Timed entry: Tickets will state specific arrival times, up to 45 minutes prior to the service start. Members arriving outside of their assigned arrival window will be welcomed in as soon as can safely allow in more people.
• Timed exit: Dismissal will be staggered- attendees should be prepared to exit up to 30 minutes after the service ends.
• Attendees must bring their own prayer books, which are being sent to all members’ homes in late August. Prayer books will not be distributed on site.
• Building air handling systems meet safety requirements, and cleaning and disinfecting protocols will be maintained.
• If you have traveled to a state or country that currently requires a quarantine upon return to NY, we ask that you not join us at this time.

Anyone who wishes to enter the synagogue (including members, staff and clergy) is required to fill out a health screening form within 24 hours prior to entry. You will be asked to take and record your temperature, and answer the following questions:

• Have you knowingly been in close contact in the last 14 days with anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or who has had the symptoms of COVID-19?
• Have you tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days?
• Have you experienced any symptoms of COVID-19 in the past 14 days?
• Have you traveled to a restricted state or internationally in the past 14 days?

Unfortunately, we will not be able to welcome member guests this year, nor are we able to make in-person tickets available to non-members (including Saviv, college students, U.S. military personnel or URJ reciprocity).

Unfortunately, we will not be able to welcome member guests this year, nor are we able to make in-person tickets available to non-members (including Saviv, college students, U.S. military personnel or URJ reciprocity).

No. We are fortunate to be able to be able to broadcast our worship services to anyone who wishes to join us. We are regularly joined by Jews around the world, from Australia to Brazil, from Russia to South Africa.

You can access the livestream here. We invite all those who wish to join us (members and non-members alike) to register for services. This will allow us to send you reminders shortly before the start of services so that you can easily access the link. To sign up for Temple emails, click here.

So that we might lift our voices together, all member families were mailed a soft-cover edition of our new Temple Emanu-El High Holy Day prayer book in August. This beautiful machzor was made possible through a generous donation from the family of Kim and Alan Hartman, in honor of Emanu-El’s 175th Anniversary.

The machzor is also available online, to anyone who wishes to pray with us.

We are working closely with Interface Media Group (IMG) to create vibrant and dynamic virtual worship experiences for our congregational community. Members will have the opportunity to gather in small groups throughout the Days of Awe, to celebrate, reflect, learn and participate in services together. More details coming soon!

We look forward to offering an opportunity for small groups of people to come together online. More details coming soon.

Yes. We look forward to inviting small groups of people to mark Tashlich together as part of our #EmanuElEverywhere initative.

At Temple Emanu-El, it is our tradition during Yom Kippur to read a list of names of the recently deceased from our temple family. To have a name added to our Roll of Remembrance, please complete this form. Forms were also mailed to all temple members in August.

Requests for 5781 must be submitted by September 14, 2020. Note: Only the names of those who have passed away since October 9, 2019, can be read on Yom Kippur.

We are very proud of our unique and longstanding tradition of raising funds on Yom Kippur that are allocated throughout the year to programs and services for those in need. Each year, the Congregation raises and allocates approximately $1 million to worthy causes. Your gift to the Philanthropic Fund provides support for:

• Providing aid for natural disasters
• Fostering the growth of Reform Jewish life and efforts to strengthen Jewish identity in New York City, across the US, in Israel and around the world
• Social service programs throughout New York City addressing poverty, food insecurity and the indigent elderly population
• Sustaining Emanu-El’s own community outreach programs, including the Sunday Lunch, Thanksgiving, Second Seder, and tikkun olaminitiatives
• Advancing interfaith dialogue and collaboration

While we may not be gathering together in person this year, we invite you to contribute to this year’s Philanthropic Fund Appeal. Your gift is more important than ever and we appreciate your generosity.