High Holy Days 2026 / 5787
Welcome to the HCRJ High Holy Days guide! On this page, you will find guidance on worshiping in person, worshiping from home, purchasing honey, including names in the Yom Kippur Book of Remembrance, the service schedule and more. This site will be continually updated as new information becomes available.
High Holy Days questions? Please contact our office at 713-782-4162 or beth@hcrj.org
Admission
Who needs a ticket
Everyone must have a ticket in order to be admitted to each of the evening and morning services. Tickets are not required for any of the Family Services or the Yom Kippur Transition & Reflection Period, Afternoon and Memorial and Concluding Services, but reservations are required.
Members
Your tickets are emailed
Tickets go out to every member in good standing in early September, to the email address on your account. If yours has not arrived, call the office and Beth will send them again.
Guests of members
Family and houseguests
Members in good standing may request tickets at no cost for dependent children, grown children visiting from out of town, and out-of-town houseguests. A donation is appreciated but not expected. There is a charge for in-town family and other guests.
Always free
Arranged in advance
Out-of-town hospital patients and their immediate families, college students, active military personnel, members in good standing of congregations outside Houston with a letter from their congregation, and HCRJ Religious School teachers.
A limited number tickets for individual services are available. Please contact the office for more information.
The first service
Friday, September 11 at 8:00 pm
Erev Rosh Hashanah, in the sanctuary at 801 Bering Drive and streamed at the same time. A dessert reception follows. This is one of the four services that needs a ticket.
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
Service schedule
Rosh Hashanah falls on Friday evening and Saturday, September 11 and 12. Yom Kippur runs from Sunday evening, September 20, through Monday, September 21. Every service is held in the sanctuary and streamed at the same time, and all of them are archived afterwards so you can watch later.
A dessert reception follows.
Services marked “No ticket needed” are open to everyone, but reservations are required. If you are not a member please reserve a place first by emailing beth@hcrj.org.
From home
Every service is streamed
Watch live, or afterwards
Every High Holy Days service is streamed as it happens and archived afterwards, so a service you miss is still there the next day. The office also emails the streaming link to the congregation the week before the holidays, so watch for it if you plan to be at home.
One form
Honey, plaques and the Book of Remembrance
Everything you might order, sign up for or give this season is on a single form, so you only fill your details in once.
Book of Remembrance
Add the names you want printed in the Yom Kippur memorial book.
Memorial plaque
Order a permanent plaque in memory of someone.
Honey
Jars from HCRJ’s own beehive. All of the proceeds are a donation to the congregation.
High Holy Days giving
Make your holiday donation at the same time as everything else.
Having a name read aloud during the Memorial Service is arranged separately. Email beth@hcrj.org and Rabbi Gross will include it.
Also this season
College students and the food drive
Stay connected
Do you have a student at college?We keep in touch with HCRJ students away at school through the year, with notes and with gifts at the holidays. Send us their contact details and we will add them to the list.
Share their detailsFood drive
Competing in Goodness
A contest between Houston faith centers to see who can collect the most food for those who need it. This year it benefits both the Houston Food Bank and East Fort Bend Human Needs Ministries.
Drop non-perishable items in the collection bins in the Oppenheimer Foyer any time from Rosh Hashanah, September 11, through Sunday, October 11.
Questions
Things people ask
Do I need a ticket for the High Holy Days?
Tickets are needed for four services: Erev Rosh Hashanah, Rosh Hashanah morning, Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur morning, and they are emailed to every member in good standing. Tickets are not needed for any of the other in-person services, but if you are not a member please reserve a place first by emailing beth@hcrj.org.
What does “members in good standing” mean?
Those who have paid in full both the previous fiscal year’s membership dues, building fund and security fee, for 2025 to 2026, and the first quarter of this fiscal year’s, for 2026 to 2027. If you are not sure where you stand, the office will tell you.
Can I purchase tickets for a guest?
A limited number of tickets are available for purchase to the general public. Call the office on 713-782-4162 or email beth@hcrj.org.
Can members request extra tickets for family members?
Members in good standing may request tickets for dependent children, grown children visiting from out of town, and out-of-town houseguests at no additional cost, and a donation is appreciated but not required. There is a cost for in-town family members and other guests. Call the office on 713-782-4162 or email beth@hcrj.org.
Who can receive a ticket at no cost?
These guests may have a ticket at no cost, provided arrangements are made in advance of the High Holy Days:
- Out-of-town patients from local hospitals, and their immediate families
- College students
- Active military personnel
- Members in good standing of congregations outside Houston, with a letter from their congregation
- HCRJ Religious School teachers
How do I access streamed services?
Every service is streamed on the HCRJ website, at hcrj.org/live-stream. The office also emails the streaming link to the congregation the week before the holidays.
Do I have to watch services live if I am streaming?
No. Every service is archived after it is streamed, so you can watch afterwards, or watch a second time.
I lost a loved one in the last year. How do I have their name read during the Yizkor service?
During the Yizkor and Memorial service on Yom Kippur, Rabbi Gross reads aloud the names of those who have died in the last year. To make sure your loved one’s name is included, email beth@hcrj.org before the holidays rather than on the day.
Will there be a break-fast?
Yes. Following the Yom Kippur concluding service, HCRJ hosts a light reception to break the fast, with bagels, tuna and egg salad, cheeses, kugel, dessert and more.
How can I add a name to the Book of Remembrance?
Names for the memorial book go on the High Holy Days order form. Open the order form.
How can I purchase a memorial plaque?
Memorial plaques are ordered on the same form. Open the order form.
How can I purchase a jar of honey?
Honey from HCRJ’s own beehive is on the High Holy Days order form, and all of the proceeds are a donation to the congregation. Open the order form.
Anything else about the holidays
Beth Fine-Nelson handles High Holy Days tickets, reservations and forms, and the office phone is answered by a person.