More details to come!
This year, our High Holiday schedule of events looks a little different. Most notably, Makom will not be offering Rosh Hashanah services this year. Although we know this change may come as a disappointment, the HHD planning team made this decision in order to honor our shifting collective capacity. We look forward to gathering together for Leil Selichot, Tashlich, and Yom Kippur. Our access team is looking into virtual Rosh Hashanah service options to recommend to our members who rely on our virtual programming. More to come ASAP!
High Holiday Registration will open Wednesday, August 19. Locations to be shared after you register; all events will take place in or near Durham, NC.
Leil Selichot Date: Saturday September 5th Time: 9:30 PM – 11:00 PM |
Tashlich Date: Sunday September 20th Time: 1:00 PM- 2:30 PM |
Kol Nidre Service (Erev Yom Kippur) Date: Sun September 20 Time: 6:30-8:15 |
Yom Kippur Day Date: Monday September 21 Morning services: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM Childcare: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM Break: 2:00 – 5:00 PM Yizkor: A Potluck of Sorrows: 5:00-6:00 PM Trans Neilah: 6:30 – 7:45 PM Break-fast: 8:00 PM |
Netzach/We Are Steadfast.
As the High Holidays march closer to us, the planning team has been reflecting on what it means to be steadfast. In Kabbalah, the word Netzach (translated as endurance, victory, steadfastness, or even eternity, depending on context) is one of the ten Sefirot – building blocks of creation and aspects of the divine. Netzach is paired with Hod, or awe, and many traditional voices consider the two to be complementary forces – but how are awe and endurance opposites?
When Netzach and Hod join in harmony, they give way to the Sefira of Yesod, usually understood in Kabbalah to mean “community” or “connection”. We can imagine, then, that striking a balance between steadfastness in our beliefs and commitments on the one hand, and awe and respect for the profoundness and grandeur of the universe on the other, results in the messy, beautiful, life-giving forces of connection and community.
The High Holidays are also called the Days of Awe [https://www.jewfaq.org/days_of_awe], and with this in mind, we can see our Makom community, and its neighbors, friends, and loved ones, as bringing steadfast commitment to one another. When we join together to observe the High Holidays, this sacred time of year gifts us awe, wonder, and a deep stirring of our emotions. This is what allows our community to endure – calling on our strength (and sometimes pure stubbornness) to handle what life and politics throw at us, but periodically taking necessary time to open ourselves to HaShem and be restored, renewed, by the experience.
One of the names for HaShem is HaMakom, ‘the place’, and when we gather together, sitting with vulnerability after being strong and enduring together for the past year, we can feel the presence of the divine while being really and truly open to the presence of one another – with our imperfections, beauty, love, and careworn hearts.
Let us share the Days of Awe so that we might regain the steadfastness we require to meet this political moment, to face our individual and collective struggles and challenges, and to continue co-creating this sacred place together.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I register?
The registration link will be up August 19th 2026
Where do I sign up for my volunteer spot?
The link to sign up for your volunteer spot will be up August 19th 2026
Makom is rooted in an ethic of hiyuv, our obligation to each other as part of being in sacred community together. We expect everyone that attends high holidays to commit to contributing to our community in ways that are accessible and empowering to you, whether that be through volunteering, ritual roles, financial contributions, or (hopefully!) all of the above!
If you are worried about the accessibility of any volunteer role, please reach out to info[at]makomtriangle[dot]org.
Are the services going to be streamed?
We will be streaming our services for Kol Nidre, Yom Kippur morning, and Neilah for those who wish to join us from home. A link will be provided to all who register. Online participants can expect to be able to hear and see what is happening during services, and view our Machzor (prayerbook) online. English auto-captions will also be available; Hebrew portions of service will not have captioning.
I want to bring my kids to services. What can I expect?
We are an intergenerational community, and children are welcome!
This year our venue for Yom Kippur has an indoor space for services surrounded by abundant fenced-in outdoor space. The outdoor space will be open for children and caregivers to take breaks and play throughout Yom Kippur programming. We ask that children always be accompanied by a caregiver when exploring the outdoor area.
Yom Kippur services will have a “prayground” set up in the indoor services space, a dedicated family-friendly space for kids/toddlers/babies and their caregivers to enjoy the service — this looks like a small area in the services space with blankets to sit on, a kid-sized drawing table, and some toys and books for young kids.
On Yom Kippur, we will be offering childcare for morning services (only), from 10am-2pm.. Childcare will be held on-site and outdoors, a short walk from services. Please note on your registration if you are requesting childcare.
Where will events be held?
Many of our events in the High Holy Season will be hosted indoors at a location in central Durham. Please register to receive an email with addresses and access information for all services and events.
Safety and Accessibility
- Masks: Most of our gatherings will be held indoors this year. Masking is required during all indoor activities. Masking is also required for outdoor services and workshops, and other situations where social distancing is impossible. We trust parents and caregivers to help their children mask as best they can. (More details on COVID safety practices below)
- Scents: To make our space accessible for people who are harmed by fragrances, please refrain from wearing strong scents like perfume and other fragranced body/laundry products. Read up on being fragrance-free at this link.
- Seating: Most chairs are plastic folding chairs with no arms. We also have a limited number of sturdy folding chairs with cushions and no arms for those who need a sturdier or more comfortable seat, as well as a few lawn chairs with cushions and arms. You are welcome to bring your own chair if you have one that you need or are most comfortable using.
- Sound: We will have microphones to amplify sound on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. We will also have a seating area near the leaders/speakers reserved for attendees who are hard of hearing. There is no ASL interpreter this year. We will have closed captioning provided for virtual registrants.
- Fasting: You are welcome at High Holidays regardless of whether you choose to fast. In order to accommodate both those who are and are not fasting on Yom Kippur, we will have a separate area where folks can eat. We will also have limited food on hand in case of an emergency.
- Food: Our food team is working hard to ensure that any events with food will be safe for our community members with allergies. Potlucks will be all vegetarian plus kosher fish. Please do not bring any food with sesame or peanut ingredients to events due to severe allergies; and be mindful that we also have community members who are allergic to gluten, dairy, fish, and tree nuts. Please bring a label for your food! If you or someone attending with you have any food allergies, please include this in your registration. (If you included this info in your membership form, we probably already know, but it would be a good idea to repeat it anyway!)
- If you have any particular accessibility needs or follow-up questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us in advance of services at info@makomtriangle.org.
What are the Covid safety practices?
Please review our COVID-19 agreement here: https://www.makomtriangle.org/safety-and-care/.
We are asking that individuals attending any Makom High Holiday event wear masks–either a KN95, N95, or equivalent–while we are within proximity to one another, whether inside or outside. We trust parents and caregivers to help their children mask as best they can. We will have some masks on hand, but please bring your own if you are able. If you are not able to mask or need a break from masking, please be mindful of space and make sure you are able to spread out–there will be room for this. If you are feeling symptoms that are atypical for you and/or which seem like possible Covid symptoms, we ask that you stay home and attend services virtually (the link can be found in the email with all service/event details following your registration).
What if it rains?
The Leil Selichot Song Circle, Tashlich, Mikveh, and Sukkot events are outdoors this year. The Leil Selichot Song Circle, Yom Kippur gatherings are rain or shine. Please stay tuned for rain plans for Tashlich and Mikveh.
What should I wear?
At all Makom events, you are encouraged to wear whatever makes you feel comfortable and good in an outdoor, community, sacred space. This is a queer space, so we honor our many forms of expression; while knowing that for some of us, choosing what to wear to a community event is a delight, and for others it is stressful. Many people wear white on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to honor the sacredness of these days, and you are welcome – and certainly not required – to honor this tradition. If you have a tallit (prayer shawl), you are welcome to bring it; we will also have some available to borrow during services. Please do wear a mask.
What will services be like?
Services will be songful and participatory, blending traditional liturgy in Hebrew, songs and poems in English and Hebrew, opportunities for embodied practice, and communal creative ritual. Some sections of the service will be more traditional, and others will be more creative. Services will be multivocal and led collaboratively by our community singing team, Rabbi Noah, with many members acting as shlichei tzibur (prayer leaders) and ritual/practice leaders. Yom Kippur morning services will feature short Divrei Torah (talks, literally “words of Torah”) from Makom community members, reflecting on this year of genocide and resistance, and our steadfast commitment. Yom Kippur morning will include a short Torah service (reading from the Torah with opportunity for healing blessings). There will be a “prayground,” a dedicated family-friendly space for young children and their caregivers to enjoy the service.
What does Songful mean?
Communal singing is a powerful spiritual practice, and we are excited to be building communal singing culture together. Much of services will be sung: we will sing liturgy set to music, songs with a long history, and contemporary songs that touch on themes of grief, awe, release, renewal, and return. Singing will be guided by our singing team, and we want everyone to sing with us – that means you! You can listen to our High Holiday playlist to get ready to sing together.
What does Participatory mean?
Prayer is a communal practice, and you are invited to participate in it just as you are. You are invited to bring your voice to these songs and prayers, everyone welcome. You can always sit quietly in reflection, pray/daven to yourself, move around, or participate however you are called to in the moment. There will be a few points in the service where the community is invited to speak and share something with a partner or with the whole group. This is an invitation that is always optional, and you can opt-in or opt-out based on your comfort level.
Will I be naked in front of people at the mikvah?
No, modesty is a value for mikvah. The plan is to wear bathing suits into the water and then, once we are submerged from the neck down, remove our bathing suits and put them on a raft. We will say blessings and dunk together. As people are ready they can get their bathing suits back and put them on, still under water.