Please read ahead for 2012 High Holiday celebration information at UMBC and check back at this site regularly as it will be upated as new info becomes available.

On the Jewish calendar, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are called “Yamim Nora’im,” which means “awesome days.” In English, we often hear this High Holiday season referred to as the Days of Awe. The days are awesome because of their intensity. The days are awesome because we are called upon by Jewish tradition to reflect on our lives during these days like no other time of the year. The days are awesome because of the magnitude of the feasting and fasting. The days are awesome because Jewish tradition challenges us to account for a year’s worth of action and make right what was wrong and to make amends with those whom we have wronged.

For us at UMBC  we are thrilled to welcome the Jewish year 5773 by offering services, meals, and  other programs to our students on campus, and we welcome staff, faculty, families, alumni, and other community members to join us on campus as well.

We want there to be something familiar to as many people as possible, so there are going to be services that are gender-egalitarian with Hebrew melodies, English readings, teaching, and discussion. (We’re open to different kind of services in the future based on the changing needs of our residential student body.) There are going to be holiday meals (for which you must sign up in advance). And there are going to be other events and opportunties to meet people before and in-between Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur, so even if you’re not going to be on campus for the holidays themselves, or if services aren’t your thing, you’ll still be able to connect with the themes of the season while connecting with the Jewish community on campus.

Rosh Hashanah services are going to be lead by UMBC Director Rabbi Jason Klein together with Morey Rosner ’13 and UMAB medical student Aryeh Pelcovits.  If you would like to volunteer to set up, clean up, usher, read Torah, or have another leadership role at services, please email hillel@umbc.edu as soon as possible.

The most important dates to pay attention to in advance are September 6 and 19, which are the last day to sign up for Rosh Hashanah and (pre- and post-) Yom Kippur meals on campus.

What follows is a list of services, meals, and other events for these Ten Days of Awesomeness.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

6:00 PM
Shabbat services and dinner
Interfaith Center

8:30 PM
Spiritual Preparation for the High Holidays: a reflection and conversation during dinner.
Interfaith Center

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

12:00 Noon
Shabbat Lunch
Interfaith Center

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16

6:30 PM
Rosh Hashanah evening services
University Center (UC) 312

7:30 PM
Rosh Hashanah Dinner, pre-registration required by September 6.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17

9:15 AM
Rosh Hashanah First Day services
University Center (UC) 312

1:30 PM
Rosh Hashanah Lunch, pre-registration required by September 6.  We'd love to see this particular meal as an opportunity for students, families, staff & faculty, alumni, and Catonsville and area neighbors join us for campus for lunch, so please sign up to join us!

7:30 PM
Rosh Hashanah evening services
University Center (UC) 312

8:00 PM
Rosh Hashanah Dinner, pre-registration required by September 6.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

9:15 AM
Rosh Hashanah Second Day services
University Center (UC) 312

1:30 PM
Rosh Hashanah Lunch, pre-registration required by September 6.

OTHER EVENTS THIS WEEK TBA.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21

Shabbat services and dinner 6 PM
Interfaith Center

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22

12:00 Noon
Shabbat lunch
Interfaith Center

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

5:15 PM
Yom Kippur pre-fast meal, pre-registration required by September 19.

6:30 PM
Kol Nidre-Yom Kippur evening services
University Center (UC) 312

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16

9:15 AM
Yom Kippur morning and musaf services (will last until approx. 2 PM)
University Center (UC) 312

11:30 AM
Approximate time for Yizkor, memorial service
University Center (UC) 312

5:40 PM
Afternoon services
University Center (UC) 312

6:40 PM
Ne’ilah (Concluding Services)
University Center (UC) 312

7:39 PM
Shofar and Havdalah

8:00 PM
Break fast meal, pre-registration required by September 19.