Yom Kippur Breakout Sessions 5787
Stay immersed in the spirit of the day through learning and reflection. These sessions offer a range of topics for growth, connection, and meaning.
Sessions run from 1:00–4:45 pm. Multiple concurrent sessions available. Details to be announced.
Please note: When registering for Breakout Sessions, we are asking people register for the sessions as a whole, to help us plan for overall attendance, but you will not be asked to select your sessions as part of the High Holy Days Registration process.
Those who have registered for Breakout Sessions will receive first notice to sign-up for the individual sessions being offered this year, as that information becomes available.
| Time | Session | Facilitator | Description |
| 1:00 – 2:15 pm | Voting Rights and Protecting Democracy | led by Denise Lieberman | Stay tuned for more details to come! |
| 1:00 – 2:15 pm | Before the Time Comes: A Conversation About Jewish End-of-Life Traditions | led by Emily Stein MacDonald | Emily Stein MacDonald, the fifth generation of her family to lead Berger Memorial, invites everyone to a comfortable conversation about Jewish end-of-life traditions and the funeral process. This can be a difficult topic to consider and discuss, and she has nearly 20 years of experience leading discussions with families, both in advance and at the time of need. From pre-planning to shiva, and everything in between, Emily offers guidance and suggestions that will help you when the time comes to make arrangements for your parents and grandparents, as well as starting to think about the things that you want for yourself. A traditional Jewish funeral leaves space for how you want to be memorialized and this is an opportunity to open your heart and mind to those possibilities. |
| 2:30 – 3:30 pm | Re-energizing CRC’s Tikkun Olam Steering Committee | led by Amy Gage and Lesley Hoffman | CRC’s commitment to social justice and to being a moral voice for justice in St. Louis continues. In recent years, we’ve worked on tornado relief in North St. Louis, alleviating hunger in our community, defending immigrants, and more. At the same time, our longstanding Tikkun Olam Steering Committee (TOSC) has been dormant since COVID. In this session, we’ll share updates on CRC’s social justice work, explore possible areas of further interest or concern, and begin reenergizing TOSC for the work ahead. |
| 2:30 – 3:30 pm | Moving Body and Soul | Sarah Anne Patz | Yom Kippur invites us to turn inward, to listen more deeply—not only with our minds, but with our whole selves. In this workshop, we explore breath, stillness, and movement as a form of embodied prayer. Using the Authentic Movement practice and with no experience necessary and nothing to get “right,” we listen for the wisdom that lives within, allowing our bodies to become vessels for insight, release, and connection on this day of return. |
| 3:45 – 4:45 pm | Now at the Closing of the Gates | led by Becky Nelson-Zoole | Join Becky Nelson-Zoole for a one-hour text study diving into the dramatic Neilah service that concludes Yom Kippur. Together, we’ll examine the powerful symbolism of the “closing gates” and what these spiritual boundaries might mean for our lives today. Come ready to explore—before the gates close. |
| 3:45 – 4:45 pm | Torah of the CRC’s Greenspaces: A Guided Walk and Meditation | led by Rabbi Randy and Karen Flotte | The High Holiday season moves between indoor services and outdoor rituals like Tashlich and Sukkot. Join us outside on Yom Kippur afternoon to experience CRC’s intentionally designed outdoor spaces, where Jewish values, spiritual practice, and learning come together. We’ll explore the Torah of the Earth in our own greenspace, then conclude with a walking spiritual practice through our Jericho Labyrinth or a sitting meditation in our outdoor classroom. |
Not livestreamed.
