High Holidays 5786
Everything you need to prepare for the
High Holidays 5786 is just a click away
Red Thread Bracelets
Hold the High Holiday season with you from Selichot to Simchat Torah. We’ll be tying red threads on everyone’s left wrists for the High Holiday season. It’s a kabbalistic tradition and we think it’s also a good reminder of what we’re all trying to do this time of year.
Look out for our bracelet stations at every High Holiday program & service. We’ll have someone on hand to help you get in on this new Kitchen ritual. You may even make a friend or two when you spot a bracelet out in the wilds of San Francisco. This year we're bringing out special charms (while supplies last) to adorn your bracelets.
Elul at The Kitchen
A month of warming up for the High Holidays
Elul is the month that leads us into the High Holidays, and it’s a chance to catch our breath before things get intense. In Jewish tradition, Elul is all about preparation: not with to-do lists, but with music, reflection, and opening our hearts. It’s a soft landing into the season of return.
At The Kitchen, we use Elul to stretch our spiritual muscles, whether that’s through song, learning, or tuning into what’s been sitting just below the surface.
This year, join us for a series of weekly Selichot services on Tuesday nights at Firehouse. We’ll have a special session with Rabbi Michael Lezak of GLIDE and Kitchen-ite Lissa Soep, exploring how language – especially in moments of grief – can reconnect us with the people and places we’ve loved.
However you enter the season, Elul invites you to take it slow and pay attention. You don’t need to show up perfect. You just need to show up.
Selichot Tuesday Services
The Firehouse
8/26, 9/2, 9/9, 9/16
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Jumping into the high holidays without any preparation is kind of like trying to run a marathon without exercising first. Instead, we recommend you join us for these four, weekly Selichot services.
Traditionally, these services are said every day of Elul, before dawn, through Yom Kippur. We’re starting with four Tuesday services at 7 PM. Come and sing through the old melodies before the big, musically accompanied Selichot concert / service, and we promise by the time we’re singing on the high holidays, you’ll be warmed up and then some.
Selichot Melodies
Hazzan Asher Shasho Levy recorded our most compelling Selichot (Forgiveness) melodies so that we can listen and sing all month in preparation for the holidays. Maybe it’s just us, but they definitely brought us way, way back to last year, in the most meaningful way.
We recommend you listen to them late and night or when you wake but we won’t tell if you listen at other times, too. (And, don’t worry about Ashkenazi faves like “Aveinu Malkeinu,” because we’ll be praying those, too!)
Conversations that Never End:
Finding Love in the Language of Loss
Led by Rabbi Michael Lezak of GLIDE & Kitchen-ite Lissa Soep
Wednesday, September 17th
7:00 – 8:30 PM
Rabbi Michael Lezak of GLIDE Memorial and Kitchen-ite Lissa Soep have both, in their own ways, spent their lives exploring how language can bring us close to the people we love, and to God. Sometimes that language is the voice of prayer. Other times, it’s an ordinary expression, a lyric, a text. Our everyday language is brimming with voices, remembered and imagined, drawn from our personal and ancestral histories, and from deep within ourselves. Especially in times of loss, these layers within language can give us life. Within our own voices, we catch a hint of someone we’re missing – a phrase, an intonation, maybe just a single word or sound – and we can feel less alone.
As we move through Elul – a month of spiritual preparation and return –we’re invited to listen more closely: to memory, to our own hearts, and to the voices that still speak through us. This 90-minute session, building on Michael’s rabbinic and justice-driven practice and Lissa’s recent book, Other People’s Words (which features The Kitchen!), is part writing workshop, part Torah study, part source for community in the face of grief and aloneness. Whether you write for a living or hardly at all: everyone is welcome. Together, we’ll draw on the language left behind by those we’ve lost — and begin to shape the new stories we want to carry into the new year.
Mikva’ot
Men’s Mikvah at Baker Beach
Sunday, September 14th at 6 AM
Led by Rabbi Michael Lezak
Women’s Mikvah at Chrissy Field
Sunday, September 21st at 6 AM
Led by Kitchen-ite Janine Okmin
Mikvah immersion is a traditional way to mark transitions. As we prepare for the High Holidays, we are offering community mikva’ot to connect to this time in the Jewish calendar, honor this past year and prepare for the Days of Awe.
We have two mikva’ot sessions, one for men led by Rabbi Michael Lezak and one for women - led by Janine Okmin. You are invited to come to the session that feels most comfortable to you. Questions? Email us at hello@thekitchensf.org.
Selichot Concert
this time for real
Saturday, September 13th
7:30 PM Drinks & Lite Bites
8:00 PM Concert
1337 Sutter Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
Members
$24 per adult ticket
Non-members
$36 per adult ticket
Childrens tickets are complimentary
For years we’ve called this a “Selichot concert,” but let’s be honest: it’s been more service than show. This year, we’re flipping the script. It’s actually a concert. Less service, more sound. More joy, more rhythm, more get-you-out-of-your-seat moments.
Think: powerful music, ancient poetry, and a vibe that feels like the High Holidays are on their way.
Featuring our very own, Faisal Zedan (Percussion), Jim Grippo (Qanun), Eliyahu Sills (Ney – Arabic & Turkish Flute), Hazzan Asher Levy, Rabbi Noa Kushner, and the Kitchen davening team, we’ll move through a high-octane set of Selichot – piyyutim that are only sung this time of year, full of beauty, longing, and energy.
Stick around after for Loquat Bakery sweets, our beloved (and still very secret) Selichot tea, and a red thread on your wrist (our Kitchen High Holiday tradition and a gentle reminder toward who we’re each trying to become).
This is how the season starts. Come ready to sing.
סליחות, הפעם באמת
במשך שנים קראנו לערב הזה ״קונצרט סליחות״ אבל בואו נהיה כנים, זה היה יותר תפילה מהופעה
השנה אנחנו רציניים, זו באמת הופעה, יותר מוזיקה, יותר שמחה, יותר קצב, יותר רגעים שבהם תרצו לקום ולרקוד לצלילי העוד והדרבוקה
דמיינו את זה ככה: מוזיקה שחודרת לנשמה, פיוטים עתיקים ששרים רק פעם בשנה, ואווירת בית הכנסת של סבא פוגש את האנרגיה של הבארבי אבל ממש פה, בסן פרנסיסקו
ינגנו: פייסל זדן (פרקשן), ג׳ים גריפו (קאנון), ארי מרקוס (נאי - חליל טורקי)
ישירו: חזן אשר שאשו לוי, רבה נעה קושניר וצוות השירה של הקיטשן
בואו לכוון את הלב ולפתוח את השנה החדשה בטוב
Erev Rosh Hashanah Banquet + Ma’ariv Service
Monday, September 22
6:00 PM – Brief Ma’ariv Service
6:30 PM – Seder & Banquet
Terra Gallery
511 Harrison Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Rosh Hashanah
ראש השנה
Back for it’s second year, we’ll start with an optional and informal evening service (think 20 minutes, no teaching), followed by a festive, delicious banquet. Chef Chris will dazzle us with his very best to reign in the new year.
The banquet will begin, as it does in Sephardi communities around the world, with a brief series of blessings and wishes. We’ll eat apples and honey and wish each other a sweet year, and then we’ll also eat a variety of fruits and foods, each one symbolizing yet another way we can grant each other wishes and hopes for the new year. You’ll not only leave full but radiant with blessing.
Banquet catered by Chef Chris
Supplemental charge for Members. Included in ticket price for non-members.
Rosh Hashanah Day One Schedule
Tuesday, September 23
9:00 AM – Services
1:00 PM – Festive lunch catered by Chef Chris Ratcliff
Sponsored by the Lawson Family
Terra Gallery
511 Harrison Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Tashlikh with Reboot
5:00 - 7:00 PM
Crissy Field East Beach
More information + RSVP here
Rosh Hashanah Day Two Schedule
Wednesday, September 24
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Terra Gallery
511 Harrison Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
All members must reserve tickets.
Supplemental banquet dinner cost for members:
$68 per adult, $38 per child
$136 per day for non-member adults
(13 years and older)
$60 per day for non-member children
(2-12 years old)
Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur cancellation & no-show policy for Kitchen members
Our goal is to fill the most seats on our most popular dates of the year. If you have reserved High Holiday tickets and cannot attend, we require 72 hours of advanced notice in order to accommodate people on our waitlist. If you cancel within 72 hours of the service, or do not attend, there will be a $60 fee (per person / per service) charged to your member account.
To inform us of a cancellation or if there are any questions about this policy please email help@thekitchensf.org.
Yom Kippur
Kol Nidrei
Wednesday, October 1st
6:15 PM - 8:45 PM
Yom Kippur Morning Service
Thursday, 10/2
9:00 AM - 1:30 PM
Welcoming guest Rabbi Michael Lezak
Yom Kippur Afternoon Services
Thursday, 10/2
*Please note new times*
4:00 PM Yizkor & Remembering 10/7
5:15 PM Mincha
6:30 PM Neila
7:00 PM Break Fast
Terra Gallery
511 Harrison Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
All members must reserve tickets
Click here to join
Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur cancellation & no-show policy for Kitchen members
Our goal is to fill the most seats on our most popular dates of the year. If you have reserved High Holiday tickets and cannot attend, we require 72 hours of advanced notice in order to accommodate people on our waitlist. If you cancel within 72 hours of the service, or do not attend, there will be a $60 fee (per person / per service) charged to your member account.
To cancel or if there are any questions about this policy please email help@thekitchensf.org.
$136 per day for non-member adults
(13 years and older)
$60 per day for non-member child
(2-12 years old)
Kids, Families + Teens
High Holiday Season
Whether it’s your first High Holiday with The Kitchen or you’ve been doing this with us for years, here’s what to expect for kids, families, and teens across all our gatherings.
This year, all our educational programs will include both class learning and time in services. You do not need to be enrolled in our year-round programs to attend during the High Holidays – these offerings are open to everyone.
Ages 0 – 5
Kitchen Playground
A warm, joyful space for our littlest participants. Programming includes music, open play, gentle stories, and age-appropriate rituals to help kids feel at home in the holiday experience.
New this year: Every service will include a baby corner – a quiet spot within the main room where families can hang with their little ones while staying connected to the service.
Kindergarten – 7th Grade
Freedom School
Our holiday programming for elementary-aged kids blends hands-on learning, electives, outdoor time, and ritual. Kids will move between class sessions and the main service, getting a meaningful taste of both learning and community connection.
It’s a great way for new families to experience the feel of our educational programs—no prior enrollment required.
8th – 12th grade
Teen Sessions
Teenagers are invited to join our special High Holiday learning hours led by educational team and volunteers. These sessions are a chance to reflect, explore big questions, and build community with other teens in a thoughtful, welcoming space.
Whether they’re brand new or longtime Kitchen teens, all are welcome to jump in.
Program Information
The following services will have dedicated programs for each age group.
Rosh Hashanah Day 1 Morning Services
Tuesday, September 23rd
Program for ages 0-13 begins at 9:00 AM
Teen workshop from 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Community lunch to follow services
Yom Kippur Day
Thursday, October 2nd
Program for ages 0-13 begins a 9:30 AM and concludes at 1:30 PM.
Childcare services will be available starting at 3:30 PM for kids ages 3-11.
At 6:00 PM we will have a special Yom Kippur story time and after that all kids will be joining Neilah and the final shofar blast!
Sukkot Shabbat Morning
Saturday, October 11th
Program begins at 9:30 AM for ages 0-13
Simchat Torah
Tuesday, October 14th
Program for ages 0-13 begins at 5:30 PM and concludes at 7:30 PM
The following services do not have dedicated programs for kids, teens and families but we want you and your family there!
Selichot Concert – Saturday, September 13th
Erev Rosh Hashanah – Monday, September 22nd
→ The first festival banquet of the year, your family cannot miss it!
Tashlique with REBOOT – Tuesday, September 23rd
Rosh Hashanah Day 2 – Wednesday, September 24th
Kol Nidrei – Wednesday, October 1st
Sukkot Kabbalat Shabbat – Friday, October 10th
Additional Information
If you have specific questions about our programs for kids, teens & families for the High Holidays, please email our Directory of Education, Mor Shimonie at mor@thekitchensf.org.
We want everything at The Kitchen to be accessible to everyone, so please do not hesitate to reach out to our Executive Director, Spencer Weiss at spencer@thekitchensf.org with any financial aid questions.
Interested in enrolling in our annual programs for your family? It’s not too late – everything you need to know is here.
Registration for all of our kid, teen, and family programs can be found on main ticket pages.
High Holiday Kitchen Audio
Every service direct to your home via Kitchen Radio. Tune in (click on ‘High Holidays Audio button’ ) during service times (Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur) to pray and celebrate with the Kitchen community from a distance.
Note that if you click on the link above outside of service times, our station is “off air”.
Remembering 10/7
All of us have been changed from the events of 2023 / 5784. In keeping with how the Kitchen has marked the war and its many tragedies, rather than creating a new secular holiday on 10/7, we are leaning on tradition and our Jewish calendar.
Our tradition already has prayers written for the release of captives, and for peace. We just had to find them.
And so, we will mark 10/7 in two ways:
On Yom Kippur afternoon (10/2), we will designate a portion of our Yizkor (memory) service to remember and reflect on the lives that have been lost on 10/7 and in the ongoing war.
Then, again, on Shemini Atzeret (10/14), the anniversary of the attack according to the Jewish calendar, we will host the traditional morning service for the end of Sukkot / Shemini Atzeret. This service already customarily includes a Yizkor (memorial) component, giving us a dedicated opportunity to reflect on the war and all those we have lost.
That same evening, erev Simchat Torah (10/14), we will end the Torah and begin it again. For a more complete description of our Simchat Torah, click here.
Sukkot – be happy outside, together.
Sukkot – be happy outside, together.
Sukkot
Sukkot Morning Service
Tuesday, October 7th
9:30 AM
Under the Sukkah
511 Harrison Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Registration is required for members & non-members. There is no fee for this service.
Tradition calls sukkot, literally, zeman simchateinu, season of our joy. We’ll be in the sukkah, singing a full morning tefillah / service plus festive Hallel and hosha’anot prayers and chant a special torah reading for the holiday, all outside in the sukkah.
Don’t forget to order and bring your lulavim and etrogim – we’ll be enjoying the sounds of the palm branches shaking and the sweet scent of the etrog / citron.
Sukkot Banquet
Friday, October 10th
6:30 PM Brief Ma’ariv/Evening Service
7:00 PM Festive Sukkot Banquet
Banquet catered by Chef Chris
Jewish Community High School
1835 Ellis St
San Francisco, CA 94115
Non-members
$72 per adult
$28 per child
Members
$58 per adult
$18 per child
Way back when the Temple was still standing, we used to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem three times a year: Sukkot (fall), Passover (spring), and Shavuot (summer). We would bring our fruit or grain to the temple to demonstrate our gratitude for that season’s harvest. And, importantly, we would all get to see each other.
At the Kitchen, we’re connecting to that same cycle by adding three banquets every year to our calendar (we also added an extra one for Rosh Hashanah, see above), to create special occasions to just be together, enjoy some good food, and appreciate all we’ve been given.
For our Festive Sukkot Banquet this year, we will host a brief shabbat service in the sukkah (think 20 minutes, very short teaching), followed by a delicious banquet. Chef Chris has been tasked with helping us savor the foods of the season and we hear there might also be excellent wine (because you will be bringing it, ha ha!).
Please dress in festive, fall attire (think dinner party), consider bringing sweaters, coats or wraps (we’ll be outside in our sukkah), and bring wine or your favorite drink!
Festive Sukkot Service
+ Shabbat Morning
Saturday, October 11th
9:30 AM Shabbat Services + Hallel
12:30 PM Sukkot Lunch
Jewish Community High School
1835 Ellis St
San Francisco, CA 94115
Registration is required for members & non-members. There is no fee for this service.
Shabbat in our sukkah means you get to be one part kid (who doesn’t love a fort?), one part outdoors-y (praying under a roof made of palm fronds and sky), and one part full of our particular kind of jewish joy.
Not only will we be gathering for a beautiful shabbat, surrounded by a courtyard made of Jerusalem stone and legit etrog trees, we’ll be singing hallel, special melodies we only get to sing a few times a year. Come and see why we call it “the season of our joy.” Want your own lulav + etrog? Click here to order.
Shemini Atzeret
Tuesday, October 14th
9:30 AM
Under the Sukkah
511 Harrison Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Registration is required for members & non-members. There is no fee for this service.
It is customary to gather at the end of Sukkot, on Shemini Atzeret, a day the tradition says God asks us to linger and celebrate sukkot one more day. We will pray our morning service with a celebratory Hallel for the end of the festival, and start asking for rain as the winter months approach.
Importantly, we’ll be commemorating the Jewish anniversary of 10/7 with a dedicated Yizkor (memorial) service.
Simchat Torah
Tuesday, October 14th
Kids
5:30 PM Dinner + making flags!
6:00 PM Unscrolling the Torah
Adults + Kids
6:30 Maa’riv
7:00 Hakafot
8:15 Kids Aliyah (All 7th graders)
8:30 KSC DJ set
Potrero Hill Neighborhood House
953 De Haro St,
San Francisco, CA 94107
First we will open our entire torah, with kids allowed to sit literally inside the scroll unfurled and engage with the stories and letters.
Then, after a very brief evening service (10 minutes!) we will begin the dancing, seven dances, each one faster and longer with different people carrying and dancing with our sifrei torah (now we have three!) and expressing gratitude that we are alive, together, we have our torah, and we have made it to this moment. Rumor has it that the dancing really goes there, now with a DJ and, of course, a band that doesn't quit.
We will end with reading our Torah and beginning it right away once again, so that we are always in the midst of reading our torah. And there was evening and there was morning, a first day – with those words 5786 really begins.
Members
$26 per adult ticket
$12 per kid ticket
Non-members
$36 per adult ticket
$18 per kid ticket
Volunteer for High Holidays
We always say you make the best connections at The Kitchen when washing dishes after Shabbat dinner, so here’s your chance to start the new year with new friends. We’re looking for volunteers to help us with event set-up/breakdown, check-in, greeting & passing out machzorim, and probably a few other things. If you’d like to volunteer this year, sign up here.
About Terra Gallery
Terra Gallery is located in the SOMA district on Rincon Hill at 511 Harrison Street, at the corner of Harrison and First Street in San Francisco.
The main entrance is on Harrison Street. Both parking and public transportation/BART is nearby.
Public Transportation
BART – Embarcadero Station
A 10-minute walk from Terra Gallery
Muni – Multiple Lines
14, 14R, 12, 30, 45 stop within a few blocks
N, T, J, K, L, M Muni Metro lines all stop at Embarcadero Station
Bicycle Transportation
There is no designated bicycle parking, but you are welcome to bring your bike inside the building.