High Holidays

Shiur between Minchah/Ma'ariv on Thursday October 3:
Who Is Teshuvah For? with Rabbi Jill Jacobs
Is teshuvah for the penitent or the recipient? How flexible are we willing to be to encourage teshuvah? We will explore these questions through a look at "takanat hashavim"-- a Talmudic leniency created to encourage thieves to do teshuvah. Rabbi Jill Jacobs is a longtime member of the FTJC community and serves as CEO of T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights.

Rimonim: FTJC's Family Learning Community

Children love the holidays, and we love children. We will be offering engaging programs and prayer services throughout the High Holidays, for a full range of age groups from infants to teens. Programs will be led by a combination of our educators, parent leaders, and volunteers.

Childcare is available for children ages 6 months to 5th grade, during the morning services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, as well as for the Yom Kippur evening services of Kol Nidrei and Minchah-Ne’ilah.

Childcare Registration: In order to ensure an appropriate child-to-babysitter ratio, pre-registration and pre-payment is required for all families who plan to utilize child care, via this form. The deadline to sign up for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur childcare is Sunday September 29, at 11:59 PM.

The full schedule of children's programming can be found here.

Locations: Childcare and children's programming will be based in the classrooms on the first and second floor. The Nursery on the first floor has diaper changing tables and a dedicated bathroom for small children. Stroller parking is available in the far left corner of the Atrium. Past the stroller parking, follow the corridor to reach the first-floor classroom hallway. Some programs and activities may take place in the outdoor garden, weather permitting. Middle schoolers and teens are welcome to hang out on the padded benches in the hallway between the atrium and the classrooms. Please check the signs and schedules all around, and please ask if you need help finding a room.

Please feel free to contact Reyzl Geselowitz, our Director of Youth & Family Learning, with any questions. 
 

Good to Know for Your Access, Comfort, and Participation:

• All entrances, levels of the building, and bathrooms are wheelchair accessible. An elevator is available to move between floors. If you have questions about accessibility or accommodations, please contact operations@ftjc.org.
• For all services and children's programming, please enter via the gate on the corner of Fort Washington Avenue and West 181st Street, then pass through the glass Atrium. The Fellowship Hall is directly ahead through the Atrium.
• A section of seating in the Fellowship Hall will be designated as mask-required. High-quality masks will be available in the Atrium at the entrance.
• Men's and women's restrooms, on the basement level, are accessible by stairs or elevator. A single-user all-gender bathroom is to the left of the Fellowship Hall. Most bathroom fixtures on the first floor and basement level are operated manually, not with motion sensors. Most bathrooms have diaper changing tables.
• When infants or small children need a break, the Nursery is available, located in the first-floor classroom hallway, as well as the Garden.
• For a quiet calming space, the Atrium and Garden are available, as is the basement lobby near the bathrooms.
• For a place to discreetly eat or drink if you are unable to or should not fast on Yom Kippur due to medical conditions, eating disorders, or other factors, the Atrium and Garden are available, as is the basement lobby near the bathrooms. If you have questions about fasting, please contact Rabbi Guy Austrian, rabbi@ftjc.org.
• Breastfeeding and bottle-feeding are welcome anywhere. Other kids’ snacks should not be eaten in community prayer spaces, please.
• Greeters will be near the entry to help you find anything.
• Children must be supervised by grownups at all times--either family, childcare staff, or program leaders--due to the high volume of people and programming. Please explain this to your children in advance. Thank you.
• A booklet will be available with service times, service outlines, sermons, readings, and more.
• Feel free to bring a cushion if it will help you sit for long periods.
• Feel free to bring a book or other reading to help you enter the spirit of reflection and teshuvah of the holidays!