September 3, 2026

Welcome to the High Holy Days at Congregation Beth Israel.

The High Holy Days invite us to do something increasingly rare: to stop. To step away from the pace of everyday life. To reflect on the year that has passed. To consider who we have been, who we hope to become, and what deserves more of our attention in the year ahead.

At Congregation Beth Israel, we gather for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur as a community—through prayer and music, Torah and reflection, ancient traditions and contemporary questions.

People come through our doors from many different places.

Some have been part of Beth Israel for decades. Some are new to Bellingham or to our congregation. Some feel deeply at home in Jewish ritual and prayer. Others are reconnecting after many years away, exploring Judaism for the first time, accompanying someone they love, or simply wondering whether this might be a community for them.

Wherever you are on that journey, you are welcome.

You do not need to know the prayers.

You do not need to have all the answers.

You do not even need to be certain what you believe.

The High Holy Days are built around questions.

What mattered most this past year?

Where did I fall short?

Whom do I need to forgive?

Whose forgiveness should I seek?

What am I grateful for?

And what kind of person do I want to become?

Judaism calls this work teshuvah — return. It is the belief that our lives are never completely fixed, that relationships can sometimes be repaired, that habits can change, and that we are always capable of taking another step toward the people we hope to be.

And we do not have to do that work alone.

We do it surrounded by community, listening together to ancient melodies, hearing the sound of the shofar, remembering those who came before us, and adding our own voices to a tradition much larger than ourselves.

Whether Beth Israel is already your Jewish home or you are walking through our doors for the first time, we hope you will join us.

Come as you are.

Bring your hopes, your questions, your gratitude, your doubts, and whatever else you are carrying into the new year.

We look forward to welcoming you.

Shanah Tovah U’metukah — may 5787 be a sweet, healthy, meaningful, and peaceful new year.

— Rabbi Joshua Samuels