AAspire is the young adult community at Ahavath Achim Synagogue. AAspire creates opportunities for young adults to actively pursue Judaism by engaging in cultural and social programs, spirituality, education, and community activism.
Selichot—Saturday, September 9 | ||
7:15 p.m | Mincha/Ma’ariv/Havdallah Service | In-Person: Sanctuary Virtual: Zoom |
8:30–10 p.m. | In-Person: Shearith Israel | |
Sunday, September 10 | ||
10:00 a.m. at Greenwood Cemetery 1:30 p.m. at Arlington Memorial Park | In-Person: Greenwood Cemetery and Arlington Memorial Park | |
2–4:00 p.m. | Reverse Tashlich | In-Person: Peachtree Creek Greenway |
Erev Rosh Hashanah—Friday, September 15 | ||
7:15–8:45 a.m. | Morning Minyan | Virtual (Zoom) |
6:00 p.m. | Mincha/Ma’ariv Service | In-Person: Sanctuary Virtual: Zoom and YouTube |
7:26 p.m. | Candle Lighting | |
Rosh Hashanah Day 1—Saturday, September 16 | ||
8–9:30 a.m. | Coffee and Breakfast Oneg | In-Person: Breezeway |
8:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | Rosh Hashanah Morning Service | In-Person: Sanctuary Virtual: Zoom and YouTube |
9:30–10:30 a.m. | Family Service | In-Person: Outdoor Tent |
9:30–10:30 a.m. | Torah Study Led by Michael Miller “Finding our Personal Prayer in the High Holiday Liturgy”: Prayer is a central element of the days leading up to Rosh Hashanah, and then especially during the Yamim Noraim. We are all familiar with the prayers in our liturgy, but what about personal prayers, prayers for which we do not have a template or formula? The Torah and Haftarah readings for today provide three different models of personal prayer which we will examine, discuss, and contrast. | In-Person: Ellman Chapel Virtual: Zoom |
10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. | Apple Tasting We will hold an Apple Tasting where there will be multiple tables, each labeled with two varieties of apples. Adults and children can vote for their favorites in each category! | In-Person: Lobby |
10:30 a.m.–End of RH Service | Children’s Programming | In-Person: Check-In at Cavalier Room |
12:30–1:15 p.m. | Oneg and Light Kiddush | In-Person: Srochi Auditorium |
1:15–1:45 p.m. | Mincha Service | In-Person: Sanctuary Virtual: Zoom and YouTube |
7:45–8:15 p.m. | Ma’ariv Service | Virtual: Zoom |
8:08 p.m. | Candle Lighting | |
Rosh Hashanah Day 2—Sunday, September 17 | ||
8–9:30 a.m. | Coffee and Breakfast Oneg | In-Person: Breezeway |
8:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | Rosh Hashanah Morning Service | In-Person: Sanctuary Virtual: Zoom and YouTube |
9:30–10:30 a.m. | Torah Study Led by Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal “Crowning God: An Exploration into Divine Coronation:” An important theme of the High Holidays is the crowning of God as sovereign, where God takes a seat on the divine throne. Join Rabbi Rosenthal on the second day of Rosh Hashanah as we will explore one of the reoccurring prayers of this High holiday season – L’El Orekh Din | Hybrid: Paradies Hall and Virtual (Zoom) |
10:15 a.m.–End of RH Service | Children’s Programming | In-Person: Check-In at Cavalier Room |
12:30 p.m. | Tashlich | In-Person: Meet at the Outdoor Tent where we will walk to the corner of Peachtree Battle Ave NW and Woodward Way |
7:30 p.m. | Mincha Ma’ariv Service | Virtual: Zoom |
8:07 p.m. | Havdallah | |
Kol Nidre—Sunday, September 24 | ||
5–5:30 pm | Family Kol Nidre Service | In-Person: Breezeway Virtual: Zoom |
5:30 p.m. | Vegan Kapparot Yom Kippur challenges us to cleanse our souls from missteps over the past year. Our tradition seeks to imbue the ethereal nature of our good and evil, right a wrong into an object that can be consumed, cast out, or flung away. Kapparot seeks to take that which is weighing us down and swing it over our heads, casting it far away from us. We have reclaimed this medieval ritual for our modern spiritual life, replacing the killing of a chicken with the righteous act of tzedakah. Join Rabbi Rosenthal in the garden as we recite our prayers, imbue a bag of money with our regrets for the past year, and swing it over our heads, thereby turning our shortcomings into acts of loving kindness to help others. The Joseph family chicken will be on site… for petting only. | In-Person: Garden |
6:10 p.m. | Mincha Service | In-Person: Sanctuary Virtual: Zoom and YouTube |
6:30 p.m. | Kol Nidre Service | |
7:00 p.m. | Ma’ariv Service | |
7:13 p.m. | Candle Lighting | |
Yom Kippur—Monday, September 25 | ||
8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. | Yom Kippur Morning Service | In-Person: Sanctuary Virtual: Zoom and YouTube |
9:30–10:30 a.m. | Yom Kippur Family Service | In-Person: Outdoor Tent |
9:30–10:30 a.m. | Torah Study Led by Judy Marx “G’mar Hatimah Tova—Getting the Seal of Approval”: Getting sealed in the The Book of Life is one of the most powerful images of the High Holy Days. Our High Holiday Mahzor is filled with references to books we should be sealed into: Life, Redemption, Sustenance, Merit, and Forgiveness (see Avinu Malkeinu). What are we really asking for when we pray to be sealed into these “books?” Does it imply that after Yom Kippur the fate of everyone is sealed for the rest of the year? We will look at texts and liturgy to better understand this image as one of the motivators for repentance. | In-Person: Ellman Chapel Virtual: Zoom |
10:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. | Children’s Programming | In-Person: Check-In at Cavalier Room |
1:30–3:00 p.m. | Beit Midrash (Study Hall) Led by Dr. Andy Zangwill “Yom Kippur in Hell” is the title of the last short story written by the celebrated Yiddish writer Isaac Peretz. Andrew Zangwill will read the story aloud and lead a discussion of its themes. The text will be supplied so attendees (real and virtual) can read along. | In-Person: Ellman Chapel Virtual: Zoom |
3–5:15 p.m. | Drum Circle with SunMoonPie | In-Person: Paradies Hall |
5:15 p.m. | Mincha Service | In-Person: Sanctuary Virtual: Zoom and YouTube |
6:30 p.m. | Neilah Service | |
7:41 p.m. | Ma’ariv and Final Shofar Blast | |
7:55 p.m. | Havdallah | |
Selichot – Saturday, September 17 | ||
7:15 p.m | Mincha/Ma’ariv/Havdallah Service | Hybrid: Ellman Chapel and Virtual (Zoom) |
8:10 p.m. | Selichot Service | |
Erev Rosh Hashanah – Sunday, September 25 | ||
9–10:30 a.m. | Morning Minyan | Virtual (Zoom) |
6:00 p.m. | Mincha/Ma’ariv Service | Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom) |
7:12 p.m. | Candle Lighting | |
Rosh Hashanah Day 1 – Monday, September 26 | ||
8–9:00 a.m. | Coffee and Schmooze Co-sponsored by Sisterhood | In-Person: Garden |
8:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | Rosh Hashanah Service | Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom and Live Stream) |
9–10:00 a.m. | Family Service | In-Person: Outdoor Tent |
9:30–10:30 a.m. | Torah Study Led by Dr. Andrew Zangwill “Happy Birthday World!”: After each Rosh Hashanah shofar blast, we chant a short poem which begins “hayom harat olam,” a phrase often translated as “today the world was born.” This session examines this (and other) translations of ”hayom harat olam” and teases out their meaning for us today. Andy Zangwill is a native of Pittsburgh and is somehow related to the British Zionist Israel Zangwill. He has taught physics at Georgia Tech since 1985 and has helped administer the AA Torah Study since 2000. | Hybrid: Cavalier Room and Virtual (Zoom) |
10:00 a.m.–End of RH Service | Children’s Programming (0–5th Grade) | In-Person: Check-In at Ahava ELC |
12:30–1:00 p.m. | Oneg and Light Kiddush | In-Person: Garden |
6–7:00 p.m. | Mincha/Ma’ariv Service | Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom and Live Stream) |
7:54 p.m. | Candle Lighting | |
Rosh Hashanah Day 2 – Tuesday, September 27 | ||
8–9:00 a.m. | Coffee and Schmooze | In-Person: Garden |
8:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | Rosh Hashanah Service | Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom and Live Stream) |
9:00 a.m.–End of RH Service | Children’s Programming (0–5th Grade) | In-Person: Check-In at Ahava ELC |
9:30 a.m. | Torah Study Led by Dr. Paul Feldman “From Yom Teruah to Rosh Hashanah – A Rabbinic Journey”: The torah instructs us that, on the first day of the seventh month, there should be “teruah.” From that, it becomes a New Year where, hopefully, our Father, our King, inscribes us in the book of life. Let’s explore the rabbinic mindset that defines us as Jews. Paul Feldman has attended AA’s Shabbat Torah Study religiously for over 20 years. His interests include the historical aspects of Tanakh and the intellectual history of b’nai Yisrael through the ages. | Hybrid: Paradies Hall and Virtual (Zoom) |
12:30 p.m. | Tashlich | In-Person: Outdoor Tent |
7:30 p.m. | Mincha/Ma’ariv/Havdallah Service | Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom and Live Stream) |
Aseret Y’mei Teshuva (Ten Days of Repentance) – Sunday, October 2 | ||
9–10:30 a.m. | Morning Minyan | Virtual (Zoom) |
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | Family Taslich and Picnic with Shofar Blowing | In-Person: Morgan Falls Overlook Park |
2–4:00 p.m. | Reverse Tashlich | In-Person: Peachtree Creek Greenway |
6–7:00 p.m. | Evening Minyan | Virtual (Zoom) |
Kol Nidre – Tuesday, October 4 | ||
5–5:30 pm | Family Service | Hybrid: Breezeway and Virtual (Zoom and Live Stream) |
5:30–6:15 p.m. | Vegan Kapparot Yom Kippur challenges us to cleanse our souls from missteps over the past year. Our tradition seeks to imbue the ethereal nature of our good and evil, right a wrong into an object that can be consumed, cast out, or flung away. Kapparot seeks to take that which is weighing us down and swing it over our heads, casting it far away from us. We have reclaimed this medieval ritual for our modern spiritual life, replacing the killing of a chicken with the righteous act of tzedakah. Join Rabbi Rosenthal in the garden as we will recite our prayers, imbue a bag of money with our regrets for the past year, and swing it over our heads, thereby turning our shortcomings into acts of loving kindness to help others. Farmer Joe and his chicken will be on site… for petting only. | In-Person: Garden |
6:10 p.m. | Mincha Service | Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom and Live Stream) |
6:30 p.m. | Kol Nidre Service | |
7:00 p.m. | Ma’ariv Service | |
Yom Kippur – Wednesday, October 5 | ||
8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. | Yom Kippur and Yizkor Services | Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom and Live Stream) |
9–10:00 a.m. | Family Service | In-Person: Outdoor Tent |
9:30–10:30 a.m. | Torah Study Led by Judy Marx “Everything Old is New Again”: This session explores how understanding our history through Yom Kippur’s Torah reading and liturgy lead us to repentance and forgiveness. Judy Marx is a long-time Jewish community professional. She was the Atlanta Director of the American Jewish Committee for twelve years and is currently with the Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta. In her free time she consults with interfaith organizations and prepares for Torah Study at AA. | Hybrid: Cavalier Room and Virtual (Zoom) |
10:00 a.m.–End of YK Service | Children’s Programming (0–5th Grade) | In-Person: Check-In at Ahava ELC |
2:30–4:00 p.m. | Beit Midrash (Study Hall) Led by Dr. Dennis Gilbride “The Golden Calf, Consuming Fire, Atonement, and Forgiveness”: This session focuses on two relatively well known, but under-studied stories in the Torah: the Golden Calf and the death of Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu. By exploring midrashim and ideas that tie these two episodes together, we will provide an interesting and provocative understanding of the Jewish approach to atonement, forgiveness, and connection to G-d. Dennis Gilbride has been a professor for 32 years, first at Syracuse University and, for the last ten years, at Georgia State University in its Department of Counseling and Psychological Services. He began his career at Drake University in Des Moines Iowa where he and his family were congregants of Neil Sandler, AA’s Rabbi Emeritus. | Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom) |
4–6:30 p.m. | Chanting with SunMoonPie | Hybrid: Paradies Hall and Virtual (Zoom) |
5:30 p.m. | Mincha Service | Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom and Live Stream) |
6:30 p.m. | Neilah Service | |
7:41 p.m. | Ma’ariv/Havdallah and Final Shofar Blast | |
Many of our committees and initiatives have agreed to host and share their beautiful sukkot around Atlanta with all of us. Everybody, whether assembling a welcome kit or not, is invited to come together for the holiday of Sukkot!
If you have pledged to assemble a welcome kit, one of these sukkot parties will function as your drop-off location. Bring your kit to the sukkah, and an AARI Committee member will ensure it makes its way to the Welcome Co-Op, our partner in caring for the newly arriving refugees. Additionally, each sukkah party will have all the supplies needed to assemble a bag so more can support and share our abundance with those in need.
Below is a list of the sukkah parties going on around Atlanta. You do not need to be a part of the host’s community (i.e. involved in Kesher, Sisterhood, mAAc, etc.) to join a particular sukkah party. If you love AA Synagogue and are a part of our spiritual family, you are welcome to any party that is convenient to you. (And just think: You might meet somebody new and make a new friend.) Join a Sukkah party, enjoy snacks and camaraderie, and assemble a welcome kit for a newly arriving refugee family. We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate the holiday of sukkot as a community!
mAAc Sukkah Party: Wednesday, October 12, 1–3 p.m., Ahavath Achim Synagogue (600 Peachtree Battle Ave, NW Atlanta GA 30327)
Kesher Sukkah Parties:
Sisterhood Sukkah Party: Thursday, October 13, 6:30 –8:30 p.m., Ahavath Achim Synagogue (600 Peachtree Battle Ave, NW Atlanta GA 30327)
Meshorerim (Spiritual Music) Sukkah Party: Saturday, October 15 7–9 p.m., Home of Bonnie and Michael Levine (460 Gift Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30316)
Interfaith Inclusion Committee (IIC) Sukkah Party: Sunday, October 16, 1–3 p.m., Ahavath Achim Synagogue (600 Peachtree Battle Ave, NW Atlanta, GA 30327)
Inclusion and Belonging Committee Sukkah Party: Sunday, October 16, 1–4 p.m., Home of Shelly and Allan Dollar (2192 Greencliff Drive Atlanta, GA 30345)
There are many that have been forced to flee their homelands to come to a new country, fearful, and facing uncertainty. Most of us are only two or three generations distant from those refugee experiences ourselves, grateful our families survived the life-threatening turmoil in their homelands and could receive any help their new communities could offer. During the month of Elul and through the High Holidays, the AARI is launching the Elul Campaign as a way for the AA community to make an impact. As a part of this campaign, volunteers will assemble welcome kits to be given to refugee families as they arrive in Georgia (kit contents detailed below). We often have to purchase personal items for people to place in their homes, so having these kits on hand is of tremendous help and saves families money.
Volunteers can do this activity in whichever location and on whichever timeline they’d like. All items should be placed in a container (reusable shopping bags are recommended), and label each kit so we know what/who it’s for. It’s a good idea to re-enforce products with liquid contents with tape to prevent spillage.
Welcome kits need to be dropped off during the holiday of Sukkot (October 11–16). After Yom Kippur, a full list of dates, times, and locations of the many sukkot around town will be emailed to volunteers. Volunteers will choose a convenient sukkah to which to deliver the welcome kit(s). Volunteers are asked to hold on to welcome kit(s) until they can be delivered to the sukkah of their choosing. Deliveries are meant to be social events, so volunteers should plan to drop off the kit(s) and socialize a bit before leaving.
Volunteers who are unable deliver to a sukkah should email Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal (lrosenthal@aasynagogue.org) who will arrange for one of the AARI Task Force members to pick up the kit(s) from their home.