There are themes that are common in high holiday services at most congregations — repentance, renewal and the start of a new year, for example. Some synagogues also choose a theme to teach about certain concepts or to focus on specific needs of their community.
The theme this year at Congregation Adat Reyim in Springfield is providing diverse opportunities for diverse families.
“What we want to do here is to give everyone an opportunity to have a meaningful holiday experience, and that means different things to different people,” said Interim Rabbi George D. Billinson. “All of our programs are family-friendly, but we wanted to provide opportunities, for example, for families with young children in addition to traditional services.”
Adat Reyim has always geared its services to a multi-generational membership, having also offered babysitting for those too young to attend services. But this year they are planning more events than in the past that are suitable for entire families. On Erev Rosh Hashanah — Sept. 15 — Billinson plans to host an interactive musical program for young children, followed by an outdoor service.
“One thing we learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is that people really enjoy outdoor services,” said Eileen Kugler, an Adat Reyim member and part of the synagogue’s communications team. “They are more inclusive, too, since there are still some people who are not comfortable attending indoor services.”
After the pandemic, Adat Reyim began to reevaluate how they hold high holiday services. As a result, the aim of their high holiday-related programming this year is to create opportunities for families that meet their varied needs and approaches to the holidays.
The synagogue will also offer two different types of high holiday services held consecutively: Traditional services, which feature a choir, and the Spirit of the High Holidays services, which feature communal singing with guitars and a more casual atmosphere. In the past, these two types of services ran at the same time, forcing people to choose. Now members can attend both.
“I think it comes down to the idea of finding what speaks to people, how they connect with their God spiritually, and everyone is a little different,” Billinson said. “Instead of trying to fit everyone into one particular format of a service, we spend a lot of time talking to people and finding out what is meaningful to them. And we offer different things so people can try events and formats they’ve never tried before.”
Billinson added that while Adat Reyim is a relatively small congregation, they have a diverse member base that they want to accommodate.
“We have members from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences and paths to spirituality. And we use that as a strength,” Kugler said. “We all learn from each other.
”The congregation also has a focus on music, including the sound of the shofar. They will be sounding the shofar at their ShabaBBQ on Aug. 25, and while they will not be sounding it during Shabbat, they invite anyone who can blow a shofar to join them at Tashlich at Lake Accotink to mark the end of Rosh Hashanah.
On the eve of Yom Kippur — Sept. 24 — Adat Reyim will incorporate a string quartet into the first recitation of Kol Nidre, with the choir performing the second and third recitations. Kugler noted that diverse music is a common part of the congregation’s services.
The core of their high holiday observance is the fact that not every family or individual celebrates the same way. The synagogue wants to provide ways for everyone to worship comfortably in the company of their community.
“One thing that attracted me to Adat Reyim and got me to familiarize myself with them was their willingness to think outside the box and innovate,” Billinson said. “It is very easy for a congregation to become complacent, and that is the worst thing that can happen. We want to constantly think about how we can do things better, and make services more meaningful for our members.” ■