The Elon community is invited to join Elon Hillel to observe the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, which begins the evening of Sept. 13, and ends at sundown on Sept. 14.
Yom Kippur is one of two major fast days (a full 25-hour fast, from before sundown the evening it begins to an hour past sundown the following day) in the Jewish calendar and the only one that is also a day of joyous celebration. While it is a day of great solemnity, we are joyous as it is Shabbat Shabbaton, the Sabbath of Sabbaths, on which the entire community gathers together in prayer and to release any feelings of guilt that we may have been carrying from the previous year.
Services will be held in the Sacred Space in the Numen-Lumen Pavilion and led by Cantor Katy Claussen, who was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York.
The Ark used for services is on loan from Judea Reform Congregation in Durham; the Torahs used for services are on loan from the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro and North Carolina Hillel in Chapel Hill. All services are free and do not require reservations or tickets. A full schedule of services can be found on the Elon Hillel website.
Erev Yom Kippur Shabbat dinner will be served at 5:45 p.m. in Oaks 212 on Friday, Sept. 13. RSVP for the dinner here.
Kol Nidre Yom Kippur and Shabbat services will be held on Friday, Sept.13, at 7:15 p.m. Sonia Berger ’15 will chant the traditional Kol Nidre opening prayer; Danielle Scheinman ’14, Iliana Brodsky ’17, and Britta Halvorson ’15 will offer D’vrei Torah; Michael Nedvin ’16 will lead chanting.
Here is the full schedule of services and programs on Saturday, Sept. 14. The Sklut Hillel Center will be available all day for students for quiet conversation, naps, reading and quiet time.
10 a.m.: Yom Kippur and Shabbat morning services in the Sacred Space in the Numen-Lumen Pavilion. Diana Abrahams ’14, Caitlin Byrne ’14, Sydney Plovsky ’16, and Michael Nedvin ’16 will be reading Torah; Adam Kessler ’14 will be reading Haftarah; Allison Ginsburg ’16 and Kendall Gardiner ’14 will offer D’rei Torah.
1:30 p.m.: “The Questions We Have”, an informal conversation with Chaplain Janet Fuller, Sklut Hillel Center
2:30 p.m.: “Forgiveness and the relationship between forgiveness and social justice”, an informal conversation with Professor Stephen Bloch-Schulman, Sklut Hillel Center
5 p.m.: Yom Kippur Yoga and Reflection with Ginny Vellani, Numen-Lumen Pavilion Meditation Garden
6:15 p.m.: Yom Kippur afternoon Mincha service with Torah-reading, and storytelling around the Book of Jonah, Sacred Space in the Numen-Lumen Pavilion
7:15 p.m.: Nicky Payne ’15 will share contemplative piano music in the Sacred Space.
7:45 p.m.: Ne’ilah and Closing Services followed by final shofar blast, Sacred Space in the Numen-Lumen Pavilion
8:09 p.m.: Havdallah and Break-fast “Breakfast” meal, McBride Room in Numen-Lumen Pavilion. Hosted by the family of Stefanie Miller. RSVP for Break-Fast here.
For more information, contact Hillel Director Nancy Luberoff.