Holiday Services

High Holy Days

While it is traditional among synagogues to invite only members to services during the High Holy Days, using this time for major fundraising efforts that include the sale of tickets and appeals, this familiar practice is not true at CBST. Thanks to CBST's Open Door Policy, our services are always open to everyone. There is no admission charge or membership requirements. It is preferable, but not mandatory to register in advance in order to expedite entry to our facility. Details will appear on our web site, in communications to members and other materials.

The yearly cycle begins late on the Saturday night before Rosh Hashanah, when the S’Lichot service is held in an intimate, candlelit service at our Bethune Street location.

Since CBST’s first celebration of the High Holidays in 1973—when the synagogue was founded—attendance has increased every year. Rather than hold two services to accommodate the growing numbers, CBST moved to larger venues in order to bring the entire community together at the same time.

Rosh Hashanah

Our Rosh Hashanah services have recently been held at Town Hall in mid-Manhattan, where a complete cycle of evening, morning, and afternoon services are held for both days along with tashlich (via a short trek to the Hudson River). Services for families with children are also conducted on both days of Rosh Hashanah at select times during the main service.

We observe Shabbat Shuvah, the Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, as part of our regularly scheduled Shabbat services at both our Chelsea and Bethune Street locations.

Yom Kippur

Since 1992, our Yom Kippur services have been conducted at the Jacob Javits Convention Center on the West Side of Manhattan. Our Kol Nidre service draws 3,500 to 4,000 people, many of whom return year after year from throughout the country and world. Numbers are not the only story here: from the setting of the sun over the Hudson River on Yom Kippur Eve, to a memorable mid-day Yizkor service and davening Neilah by candlelight at the conclusion of Yom Kippur, attendees find themselves in the company of thousands of other Jews, family, and friends. This sacred space, which contains a huge glass hall facing the Hudson River into the sunset and gathering darkness, offers a deeply spiritual, always unforgettable, and frequently transformative experience.

CBST celebrates the full cycles of Jewish holidays and festivals throughout the year. In general, when Jewish holidays coincide with Shabbat, Friday night services are held at our Chelsea location. Otherwise, we meet for holiday services in our West Village sanctuary at 57 Bethune Street.

Sukkot

CBST sets up a sukkah in both of our locations - Bethune and Chelsea - so that Shabbat services during Sukkot can include kiddush in the sukkah. At the end of Chol Hamoed , we observe Hoshanah Rabbah and Sh’mini Atseret also at our Chelsea location.

Simchat Torah

The namesake of CBST, Simchat Torah commemorates the week we complete our annual reading of the Torah and start again from the beginning. Every year we roll out the Torah and quickly summarize the stories we read during the previous year. It’s a joyful holiday service that is marked by festive music and dancing with the Torah.

Kristallnacht

On the Friday night closest to November 9, CBST holds a special service to observe the anniversary of Kristallnacht (the night during which Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues were attacked in coordinated pogroms in Germany in 1938). This service focuses on German Jewish synagogue music to commemorate the vibrant Jewish musical life in Germany before the Shoah.

Chanukah

During the 8-day festival of Chanukah, CBST holds a special Friday night service. We join in with the chorus to sing lively holiday songs, light the menorah, and enjoy eating latkes together.

Tu B'Shevat

The CBST congregation sits together at table set up at our Bethune Street location to observe Tu Bish’vat, the new year of trees.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

We commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr., with a service or event dedicated to celebrating his life and legacy. Sometimes we integrate the activity into our Shabbat service; often we partner with other groups, synagogues, and churches, including our friends from The Metropolitan Community Church, The Unity Fellowship Church, Renewed Life Ministries, The United Church of Christ, and the Lavender Light Gospel Choir, among others, for an interfaith celebration.

Purim

It’s safe to say that no other synagogue celebrates Purim in quite the same way as we do at CBST. Every year our congregants surprise us with a creative array of outrageous costumes, as we read the Megillah in Hebrew and in English (and sometimes also in Chinese, Latin, Greek, German, French, and Russian…). This joyous holiday CBST-style is not to be missed.

Pesach

On the second evening of Passover, at our Bethune Street location, CBST holds a community Seder, for which we use the Reconstructionist Haggadah. Also, on the 7th night and 8th day of Passover, CBST traditionally holds festival services.

Yom Hashoah

We observe Holocaust Remembrance Day in a service with the Downtown Kehillah, a group of downtown synagogues and Jewish organizations.

Yom Ha’atzmaut

For Yom Ha’atzmaut we commemorate the anniversary of the state of Israel. A special Shabbat service celebrates our relationship to Israel culminating in a drash by a special guest speaker. Members of our sister GLBT organization, the Jerusalem Open House, have often come from Israel to address our congregation for this occasion.

Shavuot

We celebrate the gift of receiving the Torah by staying up all night studying (also referred to as tikkun leil Shavuot) , combined with singing and dancing, and at dawn, we hold a beautiful service on the Hudson River. On the second day, we read the Book of Ruth and observe the traditional Yizkor service.

Family and Friends Shabbat

On the Friday that begins Pride Week we bring our family and friends to CBST to celebrate with us. Past speakers have included New York Times columnist Frank Rich, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, New York City Comptroller Bill Thompson, and Executive Director of the Empire State Pride Agenda Alan Van Capelle.

Pride Shabbat

We celebrate Pride with a joyous service that includes music from the Community Chorus and invited guests from the LGBT community worldwide. Past speakers have included City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and The Rev. Canon V. Gene Robinson. On Sunday, we march with our float in the annual Heritage of Pride parade, dancing to an eclectic soundtrack that mixes popular music to a disco version of “Hava Nagila."

Tisha B’Av

Tisha B’Av is observered with a fast that commences on the 9th day of the month of Av, when we mourn the destruction of the two Holy Temples in Jerusalem. In a service organized by the Traditional Egalitarian Minyan, we chant the Book of Eicha (“Lamentations”).