Frequently Asked Questions
SERVICES
Q: Where/when are services?
A: Penn Hillel offers Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox services for the holidays. Services are held at different campus venues; full details about service times and locations for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur can be found online here.
Q: Do I need tickets?
A: All students are welcome to attend High Holiday Services at Penn Hillel at no charge. When you arrive, you may be asked to show your student ID to an usher. If you don’t carry you ID on holidays, you can just explain that to the usher and you will be allowed to enter. Community members as well as Penn staff and faculty can find details about High Holiday tickets here.
Q: How can I find other people who are going to services so that I don't have to go alone?
A: Penn Hillel students have organized walking groups for all services. Walking groups will leave 15 minutes before the respective service (e.g., 9:45 AM for Reform services on Thursday, September 9). While it is not necessary to sign up for walking groups, we ask that you do so if you think you are interested, so that we can send you a reminder about meeting time and location the day before. Click here to sign up for walking groups.
Q: What services are right for me?
A: Penn Hillel offers services for all types of Jews! Many students choose to attend services at Penn in the same denomination in which they grew up. Others use this as an opportunity to try something new.
• Traditional Orthodox services are offered in Bodek Lounge, in Houston Hall. They are student-led and involve spirited prayer. There are two options for Conservative services.
• The student-run Conservative Jewish Community (CJC) at Penn runs services in Steinhardt Hall that are more on the traditional end of Conservative Judaism (nearly the entire service is in Hebrew).
• There is also a professionally run Conservative service at Irvine Auditorium that has many students, community members, and people who work at Penn. This service has some English mixed into the traditional Hebrew prayers. If you are looking for more of a synagogue feeling, this might be the right Conservative service for you.
• Reform services take place in Harrison Auditorium, in the Archaeology Museum. Services are run by a Hillel staff as well as Kesher: The Reform Jewish Community at Penn.
Q: What is the dress code?
A: It depends on the service you want to attend. For most of the services, you can dress more casually that you would at home. That means that when you’re figuring out what to wear for services, think about what you would wear to a nice dinner with your parents. That said, please where what is most comfortable for you. No one will be turned away! If you’re attending the Orthodox services, some students will be wearing suits.
Q: Do you have any tips for going to High Holiday services away from home for the first time?
A: We know that going to services away from home may mean a different rabbi, a different venue, a different community and sometimes even a different set of tunes. We encourage you to keep an open mind and to try soak in this new experience. Everyone running all of the services works very hard to ensure warm, welcome, and inspiring services at all locations. All of the Hillel staff will be more than happy to take you through any of the differences.
MEALS
Q: Are holiday meals available on campus?
A: Yes! Delicious Kosher meals are available throughout the holidays at the Falk Dining Commons, located in Steinhardt Hall (Hillel). You can find Hillel on 39th St. between Walnut and Locust. Meals will be available at the following times:
• Dinner on Erev Rosh Hashanah
• Lunch on both days of Rosh Hashanah
• A pre-fast meal before Kol Nidre services on Erev Yom Kippur
• Break-fast after Yom Kippur ends
Q: How do I pay for meals?
A: If you are a student with a meal plan, you can use a meal swipe plus 2 Dining Dollars to pay for meals. If you are a student without a meal plan, your bursar bill can be charged for meals. If you are a community member or Penn faculty/staff, you are also welcome to eat at Falk Dining Commons. For more information about kosher holiday meal options, times, & prices contact Kosher Dining at 215.573.7596 or visit their website at www.upenn.edu/kosherdining
Q: If I don’t go to services, can I still check out some of the holiday meals?
A: Yes, of course! We welcome anyone interested in celebrating the holidays with a meal to get a taste of the delicious food as well as the warm and welcoming community that Penn Hillel has to offer.
MISSING CLASS
Q: Can I go home/miss class during the High Holidays?
A: Yes. According to the University’s “Policy on Secular and Religious Holidays,” students who miss class for a religious holiday must be given a chance to make up any laboratories and/or lectures. No examinations may be given and no assigned work may be required on these days. If you know in advance that you are going to miss class, you are encouraged to let your professor know as soon as possible. The policy asks students to give professors two weeks’ notice for any absences planned because of religious observance.
We understand that deciding how to spend the holidays may be difficult. If you have further questions, please contact Penn Hillel Director, Rabbi Mike Uram – muram@pennhillel.org.
Q: What should I tell my professors?
A: All faculty have received reminders of the University’s policy on religious observance. If you know in advance that you are going to miss class, you are encouraged to let your professor know as soon as possible. The policy asks students to give professors two weeks’ notice for any absences planned because of religious observance.
Q: Where can I find the official University of Pennsylvania “Policy on Secular and Religious Holidays?”
A: The policy is available online here.
LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE HIGH HOLIDAYS
Q: Where can I learn more about Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur?
A: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are times in the Jewish calendar designed to encourage us to reflect on our actions over the past year, and to ask forgiveness from anyone who we might have hurt during the past year. As the Jewish New Year coincides with the beginning of the academic year, we encourage you to take advantage of these overlapping new years. This is a great time to think about the past year and to consider your hopes for the upcoming year.
As you might have imagined, there are tons and tons of websites with explanations and information about the High Holidays. Here are just a few to get you started:
• Penn Hillel/Jewish Renaissance Project Holiday Cliffs Notes: http://pennhillel.org/penn_resources#1
• Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life: http://www.hillel.org/jewish/holidays/default
• My Jewish Learning – www.Myjewishlearning.com
• Jewish Ideas Daily - http://www.jewishideasdaily.com/
• Project Genesis – http://torah.org/
Q: What is Tashlich?
A: Tashlich literally means “throwing away.” It is a custom that is done on the first day of Rosh Hashanah (unless it falls on a Saturday and then it is done on the second day). In the afternoon, community members walk to a body of water (preferably flowing and with fish) and symbolically cast away their sins in the form of bread crumbs thrown into the water.
The verse from Micah 7:19 is usually read: “You will cast away your sins into the depths of the water.” In Talmudic literature Torah is compared to water: just as a fish cannot live without water, so too a Jew cannot live without Torah. And just as fish can swim freely but can easily be caught in a net, so too can we suddenly be caught doing wrong.
Tashlich, as an integral part of Rosh Hashanah, is a time for introspection and a commitment to change. See you at the water.
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