High Holidays 5786/2025 With Kadima
תִּכְלֶה שָׁנָה וְקִלְלוֹתֶיהָ…תָּחֵל שָׁנָה וּבִרְכוֹתֶיהָ!
Tichleh shanah vekileloteiha…tacheil shanah uvirchoteiha
Let the year and its curses conclude… let the year and its blessings begin!
This refrain from Achot Ketana, the 13th century Sephardi High Holiday piyut, shares our prayerful desire that the curses of this past year be gone, and indeed, blessings of a new year wash over us. The High Holiday season provides collective and personal moments to reflect on how we have been impacted by events of the last year – and how the year has impacted us and how we have impacted the year. In a time of genocide and eroding democracy, personal loss and collective grief, let us come together for these High Holidays to deepen our commitments, clear any obstacles, and move into the year to come with meaningful action toward change everywhere we can affect it. May we find the strength in community to conclude the curses, and may we find inspiration and direction to begin the blessings we can create together.
Register below with your presence, your financial generosity, and/or your contribution of wise labor.
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This year, we are highlighting the fundraising efforts of Gaza Soup Kitchen, as we gather for the High Holidays. We ask you to please consider making a meaningful donation to Gaza Soup Kitchen, in addition to what you pledge here for your High Holidays registration.
Kadima's High Holidays fundraising goals are $25,000 this year, and we would love to see 10% of that total ($2500) made in additional donations/tzedakah to Gaza Soup Kitchen. Help us reach that goal! Click here to learn more.
We also welcome you to join us in signing the Jews for Food Aid for People in Gaza Campaign.
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Services will be held at Seattle First Baptist Church and live on Zoom, unless otherwise stated. Masks required for all onsite, indoor services and activities.
Address:
Seattle First Baptist Church
1111 Harvard Ave, Seattle, WA 98122, United States
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Getting There
Seattle First Baptist Church is located at 1111 Harvard Avenue, and the entrances for Kadima services are on Harvard Avenue between Seneca and Spring Streets. Public transit is a great option both for the environment and to not worry about parking. The #2 bus line stops at Seneca/Boylston just next to the church and the Rapid Ride G line and First Hill Streetcar stops are within two blocks away. The Capitol Hill Link light rail station is about a half-mile from the church.
Parking can be limited in the neighborhood and street parking is paid from 8am-8pm. There are two ADA parking spots immediately outside of the church’s ADA entrance on Harvard Avenue between Seneca and Spring Streets. There are several pay lots within 2 blocks of the church. Parking near the church can also be found through bestparking.com.
If you previously registered for High Holidays paying an extra $10 for parking and require a refund, please email [email protected] and we will process your refund after the holidays. We are sorry we are unable to move faster on that.
Accessibility
The church’s ADA entrance is located on Harvard Avenue between Seneca and Spring Streets. There are two ADA street parking spots located immediately outside these doors.
To the Fellowship Hall, take the elevator down and follow the hallway to the ramp into the Fellowship Hall. Alternatively, go straight ahead from the ADA entrance and ramps will navigate you internally in the building down to the Fellowship Hall. One of these ramps we recognize as being steeper than ADA guidelines. Please contact us if you think you may need assistance navigating this ramp with the day and time you expect to arrive, and we will have someone meet you there. It is only for Erev Rosh HaShanah services that our main service will be in the Fellowship Hall.
To the Main Sanctuary (where Rosh HaShanah morning and all Yom Kippur services will take place), enter the building at the ADA entrance described above and take the elevator immediately to your right to the Sanctuary. To access the sanctuary by stairs, ascend the outdoor stairs immediately north of this ADA entrance on Harvard Avenue.
The church has a state-of-the-art hearing assistance system in their Main Sanctuary for hearing-impaired folks. You can let us know you need such assistance at the Registration & Accessibility tables when you arrive. Unfortunately, this will not be available during Erev Rosh HaShanah services.
The church has three all-gender restrooms. One is located at the back of the sanctuary, one on the floor below in the Harvard Avenue foyer outside the Fellowship Hall, and one near the Women’s Restroom on the Seneca Street side of the Fellowship Hall.
We continue to require masking for all indoor events and gatherings, noting that our Yom Kippur Vegetarian Nut-free Potluck Break-fast may be mainly indoors this year due to the change in location and we ask that folks mask when not actively eating or drinking during the Break-fast. It is also fine to grab-and-go and perhaps a sidewalk-breakfast could emerge organically.
Finally, all services are in a hybrid format (except the family service). Find our handy guide to logging into online services here.
High Holiday Services
For updated and complete information on celebrating the High Holidays with Kadima, please visit our calendar of events. Current schedule is as follows:
For updated and complete information on celebrating the High Holidays with Kadima, please visit our calendar of events. Current schedule is as follows:
- Elul Kabbalat Shabbat Friday Night Service: Friday, September 5th; onsite only
(Not at Seattle First Baptist, please email [email protected] for UDistrict location)- Volunteers welcome and appreciated at 5:30pm for set up and at 7:30pm for tear down (unstacking and stacking chairs)
- Kabbalat Shabbat service: 6pm - 7:30pm
- Elul Shabbat Morning Service: Saturday, September 13th; hybrid
(Not at Seattle First Baptist, please email [email protected] for South Seattle location)- Zoom/Room opens: 9:45am
- Shabbat Morning Service with Torah Reading: 10am - 12pm
- Community Lunch (Catered: RSVP here): 12pm - 1pm
- Elul Kabbalat Shabbat Friday Night Service: Friday, September 19th; online only
(zoom details on our online calendar)- Room opens 5:45pm
- Kabbalat Shabbat service: 6pm - 7pm
- Erev Rosh Hashanah: Monday, September 22nd; hybrid
- Zoom/Room opens: 6:30pm
- Candle Lighting & Singing: 6:45pm
- Services: 7pm - 9pm
- Rosh Hashanah Day: Tuesday, September 23rd; hybrid
- Zoom/Room opens: 9:30am
- Childcare available: 9:30am - 12:45pm
- Morning Services with Shofar and Torah Reading – all ages: 9:45am - 12:30pm
- Family Services – an option for young folks of all ages to attend with an adult: 10:30am - 11:15am (will join with morning service for Torah service and shofar)
- Tashlich and Shofar Gathering Madrona Beach (south end), in-person only: 3pm - 4pm
(Tashlich guided meditation for on-your-own tashlich)
- Kol Nidre: Wednesday, October 1st; hybrid
- Zoom/Room opens: 6:15pm
- Candle Lighting & Singing: 6:30pm
- Services: 7pm - 9pm
- Yom Kippur Day: Thursday, October 2nd; hybrid
- Zoom/Room opens: 9:30am
- Childcare available: 9:30am - 1:45pm
- Morning Services: 9:45am - 1:30pm
- - Afternoon Workshops
- Community Listening Tour Report Back & Discussion: 1:45pm - 3pm
- Antisemitism & Its Weaponization: 3:15pm - 4:30pm
- Yizkor Service: 5pm - 6:15pm
- - Ne’ilah Service & Havdalah: 6:30pm - 7:30pm
- - Break Fast (Vegetarian, Nut-free, Potluck): 7:30pm - 8:45pm
- Sukkot Shabbat Morning Service: Saturday, October 11th; hybrid
(Not at Seattle First Baptist, please email [email protected] for South Seattle location)- Pop-up sukkah building 9:15am – 9:45am
- Zoom/Room opens: 9:45am
- Outdoor shabbat morning service (weather dependent): 10am – 12pm
- Community Lunch: 12pm – 1pm
- Simchat Torah: Tuesday, October 14th; onsite only
(Not at Seattle First Baptist, please email [email protected] for South Seattle location)- Young People’s Simchat Torah Prep Party: 4:45pm - 5:30pm
- Pizza dinner provided: 5:30pm
- Torah Service with Hakafot (circle dancing): 6pm - 7:30pm
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ALL ARE WELCOME, regardless of membership in Kadima! However, you are invited to join Kadima here.
ALL ARE WELCOME, regardless of membership in Kadima! However, you are invited to join Kadima here.
Childcare
Free childcare will be available for children ages 2 and up (somewhat flexible) on Rosh Hashanah morning and Yom Kippur morning. Childcare will *not* be available in the evenings. Young People will be asked to mask to the best of their ability (age 2 and up) and we ask them to be vaccinated. Childcare will be available from 30 minutes before the posted time that services start, to 30 minutes after the posted time services end. Please, however, pick up children promptly once services have ended, as well as being available as needed during services in case your child has a hard time.
Childcare providers ask to please send young people with no-nut snacks, lunch, toys and books - anything that will help them be comfortable and safe.
Free childcare will be available for children ages 2 and up (somewhat flexible) on Rosh Hashanah morning and Yom Kippur morning. Childcare will *not* be available in the evenings. Young People will be asked to mask to the best of their ability (age 2 and up) and we ask them to be vaccinated. Childcare will be available from 30 minutes before the posted time that services start, to 30 minutes after the posted time services end. Please, however, pick up children promptly once services have ended, as well as being available as needed during services in case your child has a hard time.
Childcare providers ask to please send young people with no-nut snacks, lunch, toys and books - anything that will help them be comfortable and safe.
Machzorim
There will be a limited number of printed machzorim available at onsite services. Digital copies for all services are available here. If you have the capability to use a tablet of small laptop for displaying your machzor, please do - there will be a QR code for accessing the Machzor onsite.
There will be a limited number of printed machzorim available at onsite services. Digital copies for all services are available here. If you have the capability to use a tablet of small laptop for displaying your machzor, please do - there will be a QR code for accessing the Machzor onsite.
We will continue to offer online and onsite options, in a commitment to our Disability Justice values to NEVER GO BACK to "the way things were". We are mindful that the health and well-being of everyone is the responsibility of each of us, that Long Covid/long-term complications due to COVID are common, and that there have always been people in our community who have chronic illness and/or are more vulnerable to complications from illness.
COVID/Communal Health Policy for the High Holidays:
COVID/Communal Health Policy for the High Holidays:
- For indoor events, participants ages 4+ who are able to mask will be required to wear a KN95 respirator (or better). Kadima will have a variety of respirators (both KN95 and N95) on offer in child and adult sizes.
- For visual and audio accessibility, speakers have the option of removing their mask while speaking from the bimah and all pre-planned speakers are asked to perform a rapid test before attending. There will be air purifiers at the bimah to make this as safe as possible.
- We will not be checking vaccination status this year, but *please be vaccinated* to the extent that is available to you.
- Only attend onsite if you are free of any new symptoms (that are not part of your daily life) and you have not knowingly been exposed to contagious illness.
High Holidays art by Kadima member Isaac