Bring in the New Year with Kol Hai!

The High Holidays are fast approaching, and we're thrilled to share what we have in store! This year, our services will be lead by Kohenet Renee Finklestein and Kohenet Miriam Rubin! Both Renee and Miriam are well-known spiritual leaders in their own right, adept at creating and holding space for those looking for a High Holiday experience that is both deep and joyful, full of lively music and song as well as quiet contemplation. 

Rosh Hashanah Services Include: 

• Musical evening and morning prayer services
• Embodied prayer/guided movement
• Torah services with meditation and discussion
• Childcare
• Shofar service
• Tashlich program
• Pot Luck after services, bring a tasty dish to share (we'll have access to a fridge and microwave) 

Rosh Hashana Schedule 

(Please note that tickets include services on both 10/2 and 10/3. There are no services on 10/4):

- Erev Rosh Hashana, Wednesday 10/2: 7pm at Redeemer Church, New Paltz, NY

The new year begins as the sun sets in the evening sky. We escort the old year with care and make space to welcome the new year with candlelight, flower altar, and songs of the season with special guests from our community. 

7:00pm - Candle lighting and Musical Ma’ariv blending traditional holiday liturgy and melodies with modern songs and poetry.

- Rosh Hashana, Thursday 10/3: 9:30am, at Robert E Post Park, Kingston, NY

Welcome to a spacious morning of song, movement, meditation and study. We have programs for all ages out along the Hudson River. 

9:30am - Embodied Torah - a morning practice for the body, mind, and spirit. Led by 5 Rhythms teacher Michael Griffith

10:00am - Musical Shacharit morning service with prayer leaders Renee Finkelstein, Miriam Rubin, and the Kol Hai Band. 

10:30am - Childcare begins (2 hours of supervised activities).

11:30am - Torah service and discussion. This year we will invite Hagar and Sarah, and Ishmael and Isaac, to heal old wounds and reimagine their family system. 

12:30pm - Shofar and Tashlich services

1:15pm - Potluck brunch - Bring a Vegetarian Potluck Item to nourish our community. 

A Note on Ticket Pricing: 

You'll see a number of different options for tickets, ranging from $25-406. One of Kol Hai's main goals for 2024 has been increasing equity in our community. The High Holidays are the fundraising cornerstone for synagogues around the world, and we also recognize that this time of year is also a spiritual touchstone for so many. We don't want anyone to miss out on this incredible experience due to financial constraints. So we're asking people to "Pay What You Can." If $25 is what enables you to come to services, we love you and welcome you with open arms! If you feel able to pay more comfortably, we love you and welcome you with open arms!

If giving, personal or institutional, is part of your practice around the High Holidays, please look at our sponsorship page for more opportunities to support Kol Hai. We thank you all for your support as we take this risk to give more people access to High Holidays programming. 

Another wonderful way to support Kol Hai and join the conversation about how we serve our community, is to become a member! You'll see that our membership model also uses the "Pay What You Can," system, and we look forward to you joining as a member! 

Help Make the High Holidays Happen! Volunteer! 

If service is part of your spiritual practice, or if you're one of those magical people who enjoys setting up/cleaning up, we'd love to have you join us as a volunteer! You can help greet people and sign them in, hand out prayer books, help us set up and break down the space, we can't do it without you! Take a look at this sign up sheet and sign up for any opportunity that calls to you. If you have questions, email [email protected]

About Renee and Miriam: 

Renee Finkelstein, former Director of Kol Hai, has been one of its mainstay spiritual leaders for the past 7 years. She is a musician and ritualist combining the wisdoms of many traditions in musical experiences that emphasize the peace, beauty, and nurturance of the divine feminine. 

Miriam Rubin, Miriam is one of Kol Hai’s Spiritual luminaries, and she is a multidisciplinary ritual artist and Ordained Interfaith Minister who officiates Jewish prayer, life cycle rituals, rites of passages, B-Mitzvah training, and somatic spiritual care.