High Holidays

L’Shanah tovah tikateivu! May you be inscribed for a good year.

The High Holy Days of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are quickly approaching, and we are preparing a season filled with meaningful opportunities to pray, learn, and reflect—together as a community. Whether this is your first time joining us or you’ve celebrated with us for many years, we hope you’ll find a spiritual home with us this season.

Many of our services will be multi-access, meaning you can attend in person or online—whatever feels most comfortable for you. As always, we are committed to creating services that are inclusive, welcoming, and spiritually engaging for all ages.

Quick Links:

Guest & Non Member High Holy Day Passes

High Holy Day Appeal

Food & Fund Drive

Book of Remembrance

All Services Schedule | Family Services Schedule

Registration & Seating Passes

To ensure a smooth and secure experience for everyone, seating passes are required for all in-person services:

• Temple Beth El members: Your household’s pass will be mailed to you in the special High Holy Day booklet. If you need additional passes for visiting family members, please email Teddy at frontdesk@tbetacoma.org.
• Guests and non-members: Please register here to receive your passes. If you would like to receive your passes in the mail, please register by Monday, September 15 at 5:00 p.m. After that, your passes will be available at the temple office or when you check in for services. Should you decide to join our congregational family, the donation for you passes will be applied toward the annual membership commitment for you and/or your family.

For security, please bring your pass to each service you attend.

Families Welcome

We are especially excited to offer a variety of family-friendly options. Our family and tot High Holy Day services are open to all and don't require registration:

Tot Services for families with children ages 0–6; 
Family Services designed for children in grades K–5; 
Low-cost childcare available during main services for children ages 6 weeks to 6 years (registration closed)
Activity bags and a supervised break space for children during services (parental supervision required)

Let this year be one of renewal, reflection, and reconnection—for each of us and for our community.

Our goal? To raise $5,000 for Emergency Food Network, so that no person goes hungry.

Food insecurity is a huge concern affecting 1 in 10 individuals in Pierce County—these people don’t know where their next meal or their children's next meal, will be coming from.

Visits to food pantries continue to grow each year and with cuts to enhanced programs like SNAP, there is no relief in sight. It may feel like the need is insurmountable, but we have the tools to make a real impact on hunger in our community.

Temple Beth El is hosting our annual High Holy Day Food Drive in support of Emergency Food Network (EFN) and the Jackson Street Food Bank to help feed our neighbors in need. EFN procures and distributes 14 million pounds of food to 75+ food pantries in Pierce County. Your donations will allow EFN to purchase food in bulk, solicit food donations, and transport food to pantries.

This is important to our organization because in Exodus 23:10-11 we are asked to “…sow your land and gather in its yield; but in the seventh you shall let it rest.” Additionally, in Leviticus 19:910 there shall be areas for gleaning on the harvest.

Our temple believes strongly in the cause of food insecurity. We have an ongoing partnership with St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, where we deliver all the items that we collect during the High Holy Days.

How can you help? Your support has been vital over the years, and we appreciate the wonderful participation of our community in this important cause. Below are some ways you can make a difference:

• Fill A Bag! Grab a Food & Fund Drive bag at temple. Bags are available throughout the month of September so grab one next time you're here. Fill your bag with some of the items on the attached list and then drop it off at TBE the next time you're in.
• Make a Donation! For every $1 donated, EFN can distribute two meals to our neighbors in need. Supporting EFN makes a big difference! To make your contribution, please visit TBE’s EFN food drive page. 

EFN, Nourish Pierce County, and St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church work together to tackle the issue of food insecurity. If you prefer to make a monetary contribution to these organizations directly, you can do that by dropping a check off at temple. We will collect them and deliver to them after our holiday drive is complete.

Still looking for a place to get your Etrog & Lulav set this year? We have seven sets available for purchase!

All sets are grown in and shipped directly from Israel. Each set comes with etrog (with pitam), lulav, three hadassim (myrtle) stems, two arava (willow) stems, lulav holder and rings, and assembly instructions. To ensure freshness, all sets are shipped to arrive just before the chag and will be available for pickup at temple.

You can purchase your set below. Limited quantity, so grab your set today!
 

Lulav & Etrog Set Ordering