We’d love for you to celebrate the Jewish year with us — whether you’re looking for spiritual depth, joyful community, or a place to learn and grow. Every holiday offers its own doorway into Jewish life, and you’re warmly invited to step through whichever ones call to you. We are always happy to help you discover the beauty of the Jewish calendar.
High Holiday Services
The High Holidays—Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur—are the heart of our Jewish year, a season of renewal, reflection, and return. Each year Agudas Achim publishes a special High Holiday Bulletin with everything you need to prepare for the Days of Awe. In keeping with our ethos of openness and generosity, we never charge for tickets; instead, we welcome voluntary donations from those who wish to support our community. Rabbi Esther Hugenholtz is happy to answer questions and help you find a meaningful way into the holidays.
Sukkot
Sukkot is our weeklong festival of joy, celebrating the harvest, the beauty of nature, and the sheltering presence of the Divine. Congregants are warmly invited to use the synagogue Sukkah throughout the week. We gather inside it to shake the lulav, share meals, and enjoy the crisp fall air. Our Sunday School children decorate the Sukkah each year and bring it to life with their creativity and enthusiasm.
Simchat Torah
Simchat Torah is an exuberant celebration of completing the Torah reading cycle and beginning anew. Our family-friendly service features dinner, treats, crafts for young children, and plenty of singing and dancing with the Torah scrolls. It’s a joyful evening of movement, music, and community for all ages.
Hanukkah
Hanukkah—our Festival of Lights—is one of the brightest moments of the year at Agudas Achim. Our signature Hanukkah Party (and occasional Bazaar!) draws a wonderfully large crowd as we light menorahs together, enjoy homemade latkes from our kitchen team, sing festive songs, and celebrate Jewish resilience and joy. It’s a night filled with warmth, light, and laughter.
Purim
Purim is our most playful holiday, a celebration of courage, humor, and Jewish survival. Each year, our Sunday School students create a home-crafted Purim Shpiel full of jokes, costumes, and creativity. We also host a lively Purim Carnival packed with games, treats, and activities for families—who are always encouraged to bring friends to share in the fun.
Passover / Pesach
Passover invites us into Judaism’s story of liberation. At Agudas Achim we host two annual Seders:
– Communal Second Seder: A warm, accessible way for congregants to celebrate together in the synagogue.
– Peace and Justice Seder: An interfaith, downtown potluck that brings Jewish teachings on freedom and justice into conversation with the wider community.
Both Seders offer deep meaning, connection, and spirited discussion.
Shavuot
Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah and is one of our most distinctive annual traditions. Our all-night Shavuot Urban Retreat, held downtown, features learning, creativity, and music. Lay teachers from across the congregation present teachings on a wide range of Jewish themes; we make homemade ice cream; and we greet the dawn with joyful prayer—a beloved Agudas Achim experience you won’t find anywhere else.