Calendar of Holidays

Selihot – Saturday evening | September 1
Erev Rosh Hashanah – Sunday | September 9
Rosh Hashanah, First Day – Monday | September 10
Rosh Hashanah, Second Day – Tuesday | September 11
Erev Yom Kippur/Kol Nidrei – Tuesday | September 18
Yom Kippur – Wednesday | September 19
Sukkot – Sunday, September 23 – Sunday, September 30
Shemini Atzeret – Monday | October 1
Simhat Torah – Tuesday | October 2
 

Venues

Community Services
Park Avenue Synagogue will hold High Holiday services in three main locations. In addition to the Sanctuary located at 50 East 87th Street, we will also hold services on Fifth Avenue, at the Church of the Heavenly Rest located at Fifth Avenue at 90th Street, and on 71st Street at St. James Church located at 865 Madison Avenue (between 71st and 72nd Streets). PAS clergy will rotate to lead services in all three venues over the course of the High Holidays.

Family Services
The Family Services will take place at The Brick Church located at 1140 Park Avenue. All Young Family Services, except Ne'ilah, will take place at Darlington Hall, 2 East 90th Street (between Fifth and Madison Avenues).  We will provide drop-off tefillah (prayer), programs, and activities for all K-7 and Matan learners of members at the Eli M. Black Lifelong Learning Center located at 11 E. 89th Street. Teen services will be also be held at 4 East 90th Street in the gym.

Park Avenue Synagogue Sanctuary services are live streamed through this website. Please note: By participating on the bimah in the Sanctuary, you are consenting to your image appearing on the live stream of the service.

Schedule of Services

Selihot Night
Saturday | September 1 ~ 21 Elul | PAS@89th
8:00 pm | Learning with Rabbi Zuckerman
8:30 pm | Havdalah and Selihot Service

Erev Rosh Hashanah
Sunday | September 9 ~ 1 Tishrei | PAS@87th
6:00 pm | Minha/Ma’ariv
Tickets are not required

Times for sermons and for shofar are approximate. There will be no seating during sermons and the chanting of Kol Nidrei.

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Tickets & Seating

Tickets are required for all daytime services on Rosh Hashanah and for all Yom Kippur services except for Yizkor.

We will issue the following types of tickets:

• • Bet member tickets for reserved seats in the Sanctuary (50 East 87th Street).

• • Bet member tickets for reserved seats at 72nd Street (845 Madison Avenue between 71st and 72nd Streets).

• • Aleph member tickets for unreserved seats at Fifth Avenue (Fifth Avenue at 90th Street)

• • Guest tickets for services at Fifth Avenue (Fifth Avenue at 90th Street)

• • Reciprocal tickets for services at Fifth Avenue (Fifth Avenue at 90th Street)

All tickets will arrive in member homes the week of August 20. If you have any questions about tickets, please email Rachel Zorbaron, Director of Membership, at rzorbaron@pasyn.org or you may call Rachel at 212-369-2600, x195.

Will Call
If you do not receive your tickets in the mail, please contact Rachel Zorbaron at 212-369-2600, x195. We encourage you to pick up any guest tickets in advance of the High Holidays. Will call tickets will only be available for members in good standing at each service location.

Beginning August 1, members who make payments between 9:00 am and 2:00 pm can expect their released tickets waiting for them at the 90th Street reception desk for same day pick up at 5 pm until the building’s closure. If payment is received after 2:00 pm, tickets will be available the following day. The last day to process membership payments and collect released High Holiday tickets will be on Tuesday, September 4.

Releasing Reserved Seats that You Will Not Use This Year
Space is extremely limited during the High Holidays. If you do not intend to use your tickets for one or more services, please contact Rachel Zorbaron at rzorbaron@pasyn.org or 212-369-2600, x195 so that we can make the seats in those services available to other congregants.  Thank you for helping us provide seating for all of our members.

Guest Tickets
Guest tickets are sold out for the High Holidays.

You must be a member of Park Avenue Synagogue to request guest tickets. For this year, Park Avenue Synagogue tries to allocate up to two (2) guest ticket requests per member household for close family members of our congregants.

Guest tickets cost $400 per ticket and may be used for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Guests will be seated at our Fifth Avenue service (Fifth Avenue between 89th & 90th Streets). All guest tickets must be paid via credit card in advance of the High Holidays.  All tickets purchased will be non-refundable.

Reciprocal Tickets
We welcome members in good standing from other USCJ (United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism) congregations. To request reciprocal tickets to attend services at Park Avenue Synagogue, please ask your congregation to send a letter on your behalf stating the number of tickets you need, and the address to which we should mail your tickets, to the PAS main office at 50 East 87th Street, New York, NY 10128, or have someone in your congregation’s office email your request to Craig Demarest at cdemarest@pasyn.org. Requests for reciprocal tickets must come from your congregation, not from your personal address.

If you are a member of Park Avenue Synagogue and wish to attend services at another USCJ congregation, contact Craig Demarest at cdemarest@pasyn.org or call 212-369-2600, x111. Please provide Craig with the name and address of the congregation, the number of tickets you wish to request and the address where you wish to receive the reciprocal tickets. Craig will send a letter with your request to the designated congregation.

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Yom Kippur Learning

Two afternoon speakers offering food for thought on a day of fasting:

The State of Our World: Dr. Richard Haass in conversation with Rabbi Cosgrove
Wed | Sep 19 | 2:45 pm | PAS@87th

The State of American Politics in 2018: Professor Julian Zelizer in conversation with Rabbi Zuckerman
Wed | Sep 19 | 2:45 pm | 71st Street

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Youth Services

All families with children newborn through grade 12 will receive a Youth Service ticket for entry into our various services. All adult family members accompanying their children or grandchildren to Youth Services must present their 87th Street, Fifth Avenue, or 72nd Street tickets upon entry in addition to their family's youth ticket(s). Please see below for specific information about each age group.
 

Family Services (Grades K-7 with parents and siblings)

Park Avenue Synagogue offers services for families to sit, pray, and sing together. PAS clergy will lead a service centered around families with children in grades K–7.  Siblings, parents, and grandparents are welcome. Please contact Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky at ewitkovsky@pasyn.org or 212-369-2600, x123 with questions.

All Family Services will take place at Brick Church, 1140 Park Avenue.

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Young Family Services (Newborn-Pre-K)

Young Family Services will be held on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur mornings for children ages newborn through Pre-K and their caregivers. We recommend arriving 15 minutes prior to your assigned service and encourage you not to bring strollers as there is limited space available to store them. Please contact Jamie Diamond at jdiamond@pasyn.org or 212-369-2600, x140.

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur morning services will take place at Fifth Avenue, 2 East 90th Street. Ne’ilah will take place in the Chapel at the Eli M. Black Lifelong Learning Center on 89th Street.

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Grades K-7 Services and Matan Special Needs

Park Avenue Synagogue provides tefillah (prayer), programs, and activities for all K-7 children of members. NO RSVP is needed. All K-7 and Matan special needs services and programs are drop-off programs; children attend without their parents. Please contact Jennifer Stern Granowitz at jgranowitz@pasyn.org or 212-369-2600, x139 with any questions.

Rosh Hashanah: K-7 tefillah and programs will be held on both mornings.
Kol Nidrei: Tefillah and programs will be held for grades 5-7 ONLY.
Yom Kippur: K-7 tefillah and programs will be held in the morning. There will be no K-7 programming the afternoon/evening.

In addition to receiving youth tickets, you will also receive a mailing with optional bracelets for your child(ren) to wear each day of the holiday. You may write your full name and cell phone number directly on the bracelet. If you do not carry a cell phone on the holiday, we will still be able to locate you at your service location.

The bracelet will help us locate you in the event we need to reach you quickly during services. For example, if your child does not feel well, we would use the phone number on the bracelet to call you. Your child’s health and safety is our number one priority.

The bracelet is in addition to your child(ren)’s yellow ticket(s) that are required for all Youth Services. Unlike the ticket, the bracelet is optional. This is the first year we are implementing this system and look forward to hearing your feedback.

Once children are dropped off at youth programming, they will not be allowed to leave alone. If you have an older child who can walk home alone, you must send them with written permission.

Services will take place at the Eli M. Black Lifelong Learning Center, 11 E.89th Street, and at our temporary space at 4 E. 90th Street.
 

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Teen Services and Programming (Grades 8-12)

Park Avenue Synagogue offers worship and learning opportunities for teens in grades 8-12. Please RSVP for Teen Services and Programming. Following the conclusion of the Teen Services and Programming, teens are responsible for their continued participation in the High Holidays. Contact Niki Fleishman at nfleishman@pasyn.org or 212-369-2600, x147 for more information.

Services will take place at our temporary space at 4 E. 90th Street.

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Inclusion on the High Holidays

Park Avenue Synagogue strives to be an inclusive community. We are interested in discussing with you any accommodations you might need to make your involvement at PAS more comfortable. If you have any questions please contact Rachel Zorbaron at 212-369-2600, x195 or rzorbaron@pasyn.org.

We offer Matan Special Needs programs and services on the High Holidays for children in grades K-12. We also provide large print mahzors and hearing assistance devices at the Sanctuary, 72nd Street, and Fifth Avenue services. Please contact Rachel to reserve a large print mahzor.

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Learning in Elul

Entering the Days of Awe
Wed | Sep 5 | 7:00 pm | Rabbi Savenor | PAS@89th
Register here!

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Yizkor (Book of Remembrance)

Each year Park Avenue Synagogue publishes The Book of Remembrance, which lists the names of departed loved ones. The book is used on Yom Kippur at Yizkor, the memorial service, and again when Yizkor is said on Shemini Atzeret, Pesah, and Shavuot. Information about listing loved ones’ names in the annual Yizkor book is available in June for the following Yom Kippur.

It is now past the deadline to submit listings for this year’s Book of Remembrance. Please contact the Development Office at development@pasyn.org for more information.

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FAQ

Q: When will I receive my High Holiday tickets?
A: Tickets were mailed to members in good standing the week of August 20.

Q: How can I pay my dues and collect my tickets?
A: Starting August 1, we ask that you contact the Accounting Office between 9:00 am and 2:00 pm to make membership payments.  Beginning August 27,  tickets will be available for pickup at the reception desk at 4 E. 90th St. after 5:00 pm on the day that payment is made and will remain at the front desk for pickup until the High Holidays. Tickets will not be available for immediate collection upon payment.

Q: When is the latest that I can pay my membership dues and collect my tickets?
A: While the deadline for membership dues was July 1, we will accept payment until Tuesday, September 4. To receive High Holiday tickets, members must be in good standing in advance of the High Holidays.

Q: If I am unable to pick up my tickets or guest tickets from reception before the High Holidays, where can I get them?
A: Will call tickets will be available at each High Holiday service location. Please ask security to direct you to the usher with the will call tickets. If you have not arranged for your tickets to be left at will call, staff will be available at 4 E. 90th Street on the High Holidays to assist you. You may pick up your tickets there before attending your High Holiday service.

Q: Where are services taking place this year?
A: Services will be taking place at multiple locations this year:

• 87th Street Sanctuary Service [Sanctuary reserved seats]
• 71st Street Service [Lower Level reserved seats]
• Fifth Avenue Service [Aleph member and guest seats]
• The Brick Church [Family Service]
• 4 E. 90th Street [Teen and Services for Children Grades K-7 and Matan Students]
• 2 E. 90th Street [Young Family Education Services]
• Eli M. Black Lifelong Learning Center [Services for Children Grades K-7 and Matan Students]

For further details, see the schedules above or refer to your tickets.

Q: Are members able to exchange 71st Street service tickets for other locations?
A: During this transitional period, we will be holding services for Lower Level seat holders at St. James' Church on Madison Avenue between 71st and 72nd Streets. We are working hard to ensure warm and meaningful High Holiday services at all our locations. We appreciate your understanding and flexibility, as we are not able to accommodate seating change requests. Please do let us know if there is a physical mobility issue that would hinder your attending services at this one-time location.

Q: Can I purchase guest tickets?
A: Each member household may purchase two guest tickets at a cost of $400 per ticket. All guest tickets must be purchased ahead of the High Holidays and paid for in advance by completing this form. The last day to order and pay for guest tickets is September 4.

Q: How can I arrange for a reserved High Holiday seat?
A: Please email Rachel Zorbaron to submit your seating request. PAS is working hard to accommodate as many seating assignment requests are possible. New Lower Level seats will not be assigned this year while we are in a transitional space.

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