Mincha Erev Yom Kippur is at 1:30 PM
Candle Lighting is at 6:16 PM
Kol Nidrei is at 6:05 PM
Shacharit Thursday is at 8:30 AM
Ne'ila/Ma'ariv is at 5:30 PM
End of fast/earliest Havdala 7:10 PM
Reminder: Light a yahrtzeit candle on Erev Yom Kippur to use to light light the candle for havdalah after Yom Kippur.
Yizkor is said on Yom Kippur
For further details, please see full schedule below.
Should you be fasting or attending shul on Yom Kippur?
Fasting on Yom Kippur is one of our most important mitzvot, and attending shul on Yom Kippur is an integral part of of Jewish life. Nevertheless, our sages teach us that preservation of human life comes first.
We hope everyone has the good health and strength that allows him or her to fast normally, and we all want to be in shul for Yom Kippur. Due to the extreme heat forecasted for Thursday, it may not be safe for you to walk to shul while fasting. People at heightened risk for COVID-19 complications should also not put themselves at risk by attending shul.
The precautions like social distancing, mask wearing, etc. that we are taking at shul cannot guarantee a sterile environment free of COVID-19 that would make it safe for everyone. The precautions are nothing more than an attempt to make it safer for people at minimal risk to attend.
Someone that endangers himself with the intention to fulfill a mitzvah might unwittingly be transgressing the prohibition of preserving one's life and health.
If you or someone in your family has symptoms of COVID or other contagious illness, please refrain from attending shul.
For guidelines for someone who is unable to fast due to health or medical reasons, please click here.
If you have any doubt whatsoever if you should be fasting, if you should be attending shul, or if you would like to discuss the details of how to eat/drink in small amounts, please reach out to us any time.
Text kashrut and other halachic questions anytime to (480) 658-3777. For Taharas Hamishpachaquestions, please notify Rabbi Isaacs via text and use the mail slot at the Phoenix Hebrew Academy (pictured here)
Updated: Shul COVID Safety Protocols
Q: Should vaccinated individuals be wearing masks in shul on Yom Kippur even if they normally do not?
👉A: Due to the unabating elevated levels of COVID in Maricopa County, our medical advisors have recommended that everyone should be wearing a mask on Yom Kippur regardless of vaccination status since we will be a large crowd together inside for so many hours. From the Maricopa County Department of Public Health (see here):
People who are vaccinated are more protected from the Delta variant than those who are unvaccinated; however, people who are vaccinated can still become infected and possibly infect others.
CDC, ADHS, and MCDPH recommend that all people wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status, when in indoor public settings in areas of substantial or high community transmission.
Due to the recent uptick in COVID cases in Maricopa County, please note the following changes based on the recommendations of our medical advisors:
Seating: Extra-precaution seating area: This area is designated for the use of the immunocompromised and others that need or want to take a higher level of precaution. Both full vaccination* and masks** are required in this area. Adults and children that are not fully vaccinated and/or are not wearing a mask are not permitted to enter this area. Both the men's and the women's extra-precaution areas will be marked with signs.
In the other areas of the shul, everyone should be wearing masks.
As always, unvaccinated adults and children are required to wear masks at all times.
*Full vaccination: You have received the full array of vaccine doses and waited the requisite fourteen days.
**Masks: Form-fitting, minimum of two-ply, which cover the mouth and nose at all times.
This policy is subject to change in the event of a significant spike or similar situation.
BJC Yom Kippur Booklet
Yizkor Reminder
Due to security considerations, whoever is not staying inside the shul for Yizkor, should please exit out the back door towards the sukkah. Please note: With the exception of Yizkor, for your safety backyard access will remain closed for the duration of Yom Kippur.
Thank you!
Children's Program on Yom Kippur
There will not be a children's program on Yom Kippur. For everyone's safety, please do not leave children unsupervised anywhere on campus. Thank you for your cooperation.
D'var Torah
By Rabbi Yehudah Prero
Our Sages have written “All who eat on the ninth of Tishrei (the day before Yom Kippur) it is considered as if they fasted on the ninth and tenth.” Why is eating the day before Yom Kippur a practice that carries with it such significance? Furthermore, if the time before Yom Kippur is one that is to be spent engaged in repentance, reciting prayers which evidence our contrition, and preparing ourselves for the ultimate judgement day, why, then, are we to eat? What role does eating play in the repentance process?
Mincha Erev Yom Kippur is at 1:30 PM
Due to security considerations, whoever is not staying inside the shul for Yizkor, should please exit out the back door towards the sukkah.
