Dear Wise Community,

We are so excited to see you all over the coming weeks as we celebrate the High Holy Days together. For us, the emphasis on that word is crucial, as it is the most important part of our communal celebration. We can reflect on our behavior—perform what our tradition calls heshbon hanefesh, an accounting of the soul—all by ourselves. The work of t’shuvah is also very much a personal task. But communal worship requires a community. We so want you to join us in person this year on magnificent Bel Air campus. There are both indoor and outdoor options available to you and we have incorporated all of your feedback from last year in order to create experiences that are varied, rich, engaging, and uplifting. The clergy is ready. The choir is ready. Our campus is ready. We just need you.

We will have plenty of shuttles and parking available. We also encourage you to consider carpooling with a friend or using a ride-share service. While it might require a little patience on your part, we feel confident that you will find it more than worthwhile. Your participation and your presence matter so very much.

If you are unable to attend for health reasons or if you are traveling during the Holy Days, you are of course invited to enjoy our services online. Our incredible media production crew will ensure that you can stream our worship and enjoy all of our rabbis’ sermons in real time and then immediately after the service as well. We will send out links to the services and sermons after Rosh Hashanah and again after Yom Kippur.

We know that you will feel comfort in returning to many of the beautiful melodies that we’ve enjoyed at Stephen Wise Temple over the decades along with newer pieces from more recent years. In addition, we have created a new liturgical setting especially for our community that we will debut at the end of our Ne’ilah services this year, as we conclude our Days of Awe.

In the audio player on this page (or at THIS LINK), you can listen to “Adonai Hu HaElohim—You Are Our God.”

We hope you will enjoy this song, which will make its world premiere at Stephen Wise Temple on September 25!

We look forward to being together soon!

Shanah Tovah,

Commissioned by: Cantor Emma Lutz
Composed by Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback and Music Director Dr. Tali Tadmor, DMA
Arranged by David Kates, Cantor Emma Lutz, Dr. Tali Tadmor, and Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback
Produced and Mixed by Kenli Mattus

Vocals
Cantor Emma Lutz; Joe Hack, High Holy Day bass soloist; and Brandon Levin, tenor soloist and Wise CYE alumnus

Instrumentalists
Piano: Dr. Tali Tadmor, DMA
Violin: Jenni Asher

Play and Sing It Yourself!