Rosh Hashanah
Friday, September 15 – Sunday, September 17, 2023
Welcoming in the Jewish New Year
Join Wilderness Torah and Chochmat HaLev for an extraordinary, community-wide Rosh Hashanah experience in Berkeley, California.
Gather with us this High Holiday season to listen to the voice of the Divine whispering inside each of us. What is your soul yearning for? How can you deepen in service to your purpose, your community, and collective healing? What seeds are you planting as we enter this cycle of renewal?
This year, we will meet in beautiful spaces across Berkeley, indoor and out, to welcome in the Jewish New Year through ritual and celebration. This year’s offerings include:
- Musical, heart-centered services for Erev Rosh Hashanah and Rosh Hashanah day (available in-person and online) at at First Presbyterian Church
- Kiddush picnic and Tashlich ritual at Urban Adamah
- Simanim Seder and Havdalah at Chochmat HaLev (separate ticket required)
Join us for back-to-back celebrations and ritual to welcome in the
Jewish new year.
Erev Rosh Hashanah Services
Friday Evening, September 15
7:00 pm PDT
First Presbyterian Church
Berkeley, CA
Rosh Hashanah Day Services
Saturday, September 16
10:00 am PDT
First Presbyterian Church
Berkeley, CA
Kiddush Picnic & Tashlich Ritual
Saturday, September 16
2:00 pm PDT
Urban Adamah
Berkeley, CA
Simanim Seder & Havdallah
Saturday, September 16
7:30 pm PDT
Chochmat HaLev Courtyard
Berkeley, CA
Picnic, Shofar and Tashlich
Sunday, September 17
1:30–3:00 pm PDT
Strawberry Creek Park
Berkeley, CA
With Torah of Awakening
About the Simanim Seder
Simanim Seder and Havdallah
Saturday, September 16, 7:30 pm
Chochmat HaLev Courtyard
Tickets: $18–$54 Sliding Scale
Gather with us on Rosh Hashanah eve for a gorgeous ritual seder and Havdalah ceremony rooted in Sephardi and Misrachi tradition.
Through mystical prayer, kabbalastic teachings, sacred foods, and live oud performances, we will welcome the new year through the ancient order (the literal meaning of the word “seder”) of setting prayers and intentions to bring goodness into this next cycle of time. All of your senses will be engaged and delighted.
Come with a bottle of wine, a cushion to lounge on, and a heart ready to receive blessings for this sacred moment of renewal.
Families are welcome to join, however, there is no childcare.
Please note: this seder is providing tastes of ritual foods and not providing a full dinner.
Would you like to sponsor our seder?
Deepen your connection to the Wilderness Torah community by sponsoring one of our beautiful ritual meals. This is an incredible way to honor yourself or someone in your life undergoing a significant rite of passage. Whether a b’nei mitzvah, birth, wedding, or passage of life, we want to bring sanctity and celebration to the ways our community grows and evolves.
By sponsoring a meal, we dedicate this meal to you or your chosen loved one and invite you to offer a blessing and dedication before the community. This is a gift that gives to everyone!
To sign up, all you need to do is indicate on your registration form that you would like to sponsor, and we will follow up with you.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ
Testimonials from 2022 Rosh Hashanah Attendees
My son and I felt such a sense of belonging to this community, and for me, I have a renewed connection to Judaism. Something deep within me has been awakened through the music, the prayer, the beauty. Thank you with all my heart!
2022 Rosh Hashanah ParticipantI did not grow up deeply connected to my Jewish roots. Wilderness Torah has been a place where I can learn and grow in a friendly atmosphere where I don’t feel shamed by my lack of understanding. We are all on different stages of our journeys with our Jewish connection and Wilderness Torah feels like a place I can just be where I’m at. Thank you!
2022, Asherah WeissI found this experience a beautiful and powerfully moving way to renew my relationship to Judaism in community.
2022, Elisabeth Jay