Tuesday, October 8
8:00pm Kol Nidre – Yom Kippur Eve Service
Wednesday, October 9
9:30am Yom Kippur Youth Service
11:00am Yom Kippur Adult Morning Service
1:00pm Holy Days Discussion Hour
Every Yom Kippur, we are reminded that our annual Season of Penitence is meaningless unless we strive to translate our repentance and our prayers into action. Our tradition challenges us to use introspection and a penitent spirit as a means to take an honest look at who we are. These holy days call us to accountability, not only for ourselves, but also for the challenges we face in society at large.
During our Yom Kippur discussion hour, we will explore one of the greatest challenges we face in society today. The topic for the hour will be race relations, and our speaker will be the Rev. Joel Goza. Rev. Goza has led HCRJ in spiritual discussions on a number of occasions in the past. He is an inspiring preacher, a prolific writer, an activist and a brilliant thinker. He has served as a pastor in Houston’s Fifth Ward for over a decade, and his unique perspectives on race relations is partially rooted in the fact that he is a white pastor serving a primarily African American community.
Our time with Rev. Goza will be designed to engage us in a thoughtful exploration of race relations in society. In the spirit of our Day of Atonement, our conversation with Rev. Goza is meant to be reflective. The hope is that as we open our eyes and our hearts to aspects of this complex societal issue, we might be able to expand our sensitivities to the needs of communities of color in ways we may never have considered in the past.
2:15pm Transition & Reflection Period
3:00pm Afternoon Service
4:00pm Memorial Service & Concluding Service
Break-the-fast at approximately 5:30pm