SEPTEMBER 8 • 2022 | 19

the event was well-received. “It 
was 75 degrees and sunny,” he 
recalls. “It’s hard to replicate 
that, but we’ll keep our fingers 
crossed.”
Still, congregants enjoyed the 
idea of an alternative service 
regardless of weather.
“We had a lot of people who 
came and told us that it was 
a really great experience for 
them,” Dahlen says. “Our alter-
native service isn’t a watered-
down service; it’s still a very 
meaningful service that has a 
lot of music, participation and 
intentionality.
“It’s not just for little kids,” 
he adds. “It’s for everyone. It’s 
accessible.”

SETTING INTENTIONS
Dahlen hopes the event can 
encourage congregants to 
find their own way to connect 

to Judaism during the High 
Holidays.
“There’s not just one way of 
experiencing Rosh Hashanah 
or Yom Kippur,” he says.
He believes people may be 
surprised by how much they 
might enjoy an alternative ser-

vice program like High Holiday 
Prayground, in conjunction 
with traditional services.
“I think people find different 
ways where the High Holidays 
speak to them in a way they 
weren’t expecting,” Dahlen 
says. “It gives us permission to 

experiment a little bit.”
Shaarey Zedek is building 
a new playground that the 
synagogue hopes will be ready 
in time for the High Holidays 
— taking High Holiday 
Prayground one step further 
with a new structure for kids.
Dahlen hopes the turnout 
will be even higher this year, 
especially with COVID-19 
vaccines now available for 
children. In the event of rain 
or inclement weather, High 
Holiday Prayground will be 
housed under tents or indoors 
within the Shaarey Zedek cam-
pus.
“It sets the pace for the rest 
of our year,” he says of the High 
Holidays. “We’re supposed to 
be dancing, we’re supposed to 
be moving and running around 
— letting our whole selves 
experience the holidays.” 

Thursday, September 22
1 – 3 pm

RSVP REQUIRED! CALL TODAY: 248-617-0761

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FALL EQUINOX

Celebrate the fall equinox with Anthology of Novi. Stroll through the building, 
taste the farm-to-table delights prepared by our culinary team and enjoy 
live music in the courtyard. Visit our farmers market truck and take home 
your own farm-grown fruits, veggies or even some fresh flowers. 

This will be a socially distanced event. Masks required.

Harvest Celebration

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