32 | SEPTEMBER 26 • 2019

Rosh Hashanah

T

he High Holidays are
an intense time as
synagogues and tem-
ples typically offer additional
services and special educa-
tional programs attended by
large numbers of congregants.
Clergy and administrative
staffs start planning well
in advance to ensure that
services are especially mean-
ingful and provide a strong
foundation for this period of
self-reflection, repentance and
celebration.
Cheryl
Friedman, now in
her 12th year as
executive director
of Temple Kol
Ami in West
Bloomfield, says
that in June she
starts working on such issues
as security, a shuttle service
for parking and reaching out
to congregational volunteers
who serve as head ushers.
“We have a master spread
sheet developed over time
that has worked well although
we may tweak some things,”
she says. Friedman and other
Kol Ami staff members go
over this plan in July to make

sure everyone knows their
role.
At the Isaac Agree
Downtown Synagogue
in Detroit,
Rabbi Ariana
Silverman says
that small-scale
planning starts
at the beginning
of summer.
An early step
is a letter to congregants
and others to inform them
about services, which are
free and open to the public.
Congregational volunteers
design ads for the Jewish News
and Facebook inviting the
community. During the sum-
mer, Silverman starts to work
on services with their canto-
rial soloist, who is based in
Chicago, and starts to think
about ideas for sermons.
The synagogue has an
added challenge of a special
location for High Holiday
services — the former Temple
Beth El (also in Detroit),
now owned and operated by
Breakers Covenant Church.
Services are held there because
the Agree synagogue build-
ing holds only 70 while 450

Friedman

Silverman

Planning and
Commitment

High Holidays mean hard work
for synagogue and temple staffs.

SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

continued on page 34

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