- (207) 879 - 0028
- admin@bethaam.org
- 81 Westbrook Street South Portland, ME 04106
High Holy Days
All are Welcome!
Since its founding in 1985, Bet Ha’am has committed to being a house of worship where all feel welcome. We invite you to join us for any Bet Ha’am service or event, including High Holy Day worship. We hope that you–Jewish or non-Jewish, Mainer or guest visiting from away–will join us at this time of community celebration.
The biggest change non-members will see is that non-member family units will be charged a flat fee of $150 to attend one or all the services. Non-members will be able to register either by a phone call to the office or on the website and will be expected to pay the fee at that time. After the fee is received, that household will a receive a ticket for the Holidays that will be shown, along with an ID, at the time of the services.
We'll usher in the High Holy Days with Selichot on Saturday, September 9, 2023.
For those wishing to enjoy a contemplative style service featuring readings, music, and meditation, a pre-recorded service co-led by congregants Jane Sloven and Sharon Newman will be available to watch at your convenience by clicking here.
Each year, we offer three services to mark the start of the Jewish New Year: An evening service for the start of the holiday, then a family and a traditional service on Rosh Hashanah day.
This solemn day begins with Kol Nidre. We hold both a family and traditional service in the morning, and continue our worship in the afternoon with a service for meditation and healing, study sessions, Yizkor, and Neilah. We break-the-fast with a community potluck.
We celebrate this fall festival in our the congregation’s sukkah (temporary shelter), which is decorated by the religious school children. Our sukkah will be available on a drop-in basis. Fulfill the mitzvah of eating something larger than an olive in a sukkah and bring a biodegradable decoration to share.
Erev Simchat Torah and Consecration take place a week after Sukkot. For the Simchat Torah service, we read the end of the Torah and the beginning, then dance to the music of the Casco Bay Tummlers. At the end of the evening, children who are new to the religious school are blessed for the start of their religious education.
Support Bet Ha’am’s Annual Food Drive! In light of our current COVID-19 restrictions, we are sponsoring our annual food drive by donations of cash rather than donations of food. While we are sad not to collect actual food, writing a check for the amount you would have spent on food donations maximizes the impact of your gift: For the same amount of money, agencies can buy up to eight times the amount of food you can purchase by yourself.
Please donate online or make your checks payable to Bet Ha’am and write "food drive" on the memo line. We will divide the donations evenly between these organizations:
- South Portland Food Cupboard
- Project FEED at Woodford Congregational Church
- Jewish Family Services Pantry
- MAZON: The Jewish Response to Hunger