ROSH HASHANAH
AND YOM KIPPUR

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur have always centered on spiritual renewal, repentance, and atonement. This year, we enter the High Holidays at an uneasy moment. But Jewish tradition teaches that discomfort is where growth happens, inspiring us to recommit to the values that have always sustained and guided us.

To help you prepare for the season, UJA is once again offering resources for our community, including an easy way to find High Holiday services near you, a meaningful message from faith leaders, wildflower honey from Israel to bring sweetness to your holiday table, and more.

ROSH HASHANAH

Friday night, September 11, 2026 – Sunday night, September 13, 2026

Rosh Hashanah is a time to reflect on the year that has passed and set intentions for the one ahead. Marked by the sounding of the shofar and the tradition of eating apples and honey, it invites us to welcome the new year with hope and possibility.

Find Rosh Hashanah Services >

YOM KIPPUR

Sunday night, September 20, 2026 – Monday night, September 21, 2026

Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish year. Through prayer, fasting, and reflection, we seek forgiveness, repair relationships, and begin anew. 

Find Yom Kippur Services >

How Our Partners Are Observing The High Holidays 2026

Services

• 92NY creates a Book of Remembrance for its Yom Kippur services, allowing community members to memorialize loved ones. Learn how to participate on the 92NY website >
• JDRC maintains a list of High Holiday services with ASL interpretation. Find accessible services on the JDRC website >
• Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan’s Wechsler Center for Modern Aging is hosting its annual Tashlich service in Riverside Park on Tuesday, September 15, at 11:00 am. Led by a JCC rabbi, the service will offer participants an opportunity to symbolically cast away their sins in a program featuring singing, reflection, and time in nature. Learn more on the Wechsler Center website >
• Riverdale Y will hold an in-person Yizkor service open to the community at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, September 18. Sign up for the Riverdale Y Yizkor service >
• Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan is offering a virtual Yizkor service on Monday, September 21, at 2:30 pm. Learn more on the Marlene Meyerson JCC's website >
• Selfhelp, a UJA partner serving more than 5,000 Holocaust survivors in New York, offers virtual and in-person opportunities to celebrate Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot, including a Coffee House where survivors can come together as a community. Learn more on the Selfhelp website >

Family Activities

• Shames JCC on the Hudson is offering apple muffin bites, apple-and-honey taste tests, and round holiday challahs on Tuesday, September 8, and Thursday, September 10. All are welcome. Learn more on the Shames JCC website >
• Jewish Community Center of Mid-Westchester is helping bakers prepare for Rosh Hashanah with its monthly Challah Club on Wednesday, September 9. Sign up for the Challah Club >
• JCC Harlem is partnering with Fig Tree for Seeds of a Sweet New Year on Sunday, September 13. Learn more on the JCC Harlem's website >
• Riverdale Y is hosting a hands-on shofar-making workshop for families on Tuesday, September 15. The event includes opportunities to learn about and sound a shofar, as well as a kosher pizza dinner. Learn more on the Riverdale Y website >
• Shames JCC on the Hudson is inviting young families to a High Holiday pop-up craft-making experience on Thursday, September 17, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm. Learn more on the Shames JCC website >

Volunteer Opportunities and Community Events

• Kings Bay Y will distribute pantry items for Rosh Hashanah to those in need on Friday, August 28. Email Kings Bay Y to learn more >
• DOROT is organizing volunteers to deliver care packages to older adults from Tuesday, September 15, through Sunday, September 20, in Westchester, and on Wednesday, September 16, in Manhattan. Visit DOROT’s website to sign up >