We hold worship services in observance of all major Jewish holidays and festivals. In addition to worship services in the sanctuary, we mark holidays by festive programs and congregational celebrations outside. Annual celebrations include a Sukkot picnic, Chanukah Fair and Bazaar, Tu b’shevat Tree Planting and tasting of the first fruits, religious school Purim Carnival, a Community Passover Seder, and celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut / Israel Independence Day.

High Holy Days Sukkot/Simchat Torah Chanukah Tu b'Shevat Passover Yom HaShoah and Yom Ha'atzmaut Shavuot Current Holiday Information (URJ)

Each fall, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur signal the beginning of the program year at Congregation Beth Sholom. We offer High Holy Day services set in the context of Reform Judaism. The High Holy Day season begins with a traditional Selichot observance on the Saturday evening before Rosh Hashanah. The Selichot liturgy and ceremonial dressing of the Torah in the white Torah covers set the tone for the upcoming Holy Day season.

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services are set with beauty and majesty befitting the holiness of the season. In addition to our sanctuary services, a Rosh Hashanah family service and tashlich observance are held each year on the edge of the Napa River. Child care, by advance reservation, is offered to families during Rosh Hashanah day and Yom Kippur day services. At the conclusion of the Yom Kippur service, all are invited to a community break-fast.

Tickets are necessary for admission to all High Holy Day sanctuary services. These tickets are provided free of charge to synagogue members. If you are not a member of Congregation Beth Sholom, we would be pleased to welcome you to share the High Holy Days with our community. Information on purchasing High Holy Day tickets or obtaining complimentary tickets for full-time students or members of other URJ congregations is available through the Synagogue Office.

In anticipation of Sukkot, we join together to build a Sukkah which is decorated by our religious school students and adults. During the week of Sukkot we sponsor a variety of programs inviting community members to fulfill the mitzvah of “Leishev ba’Sukkah”, of sitting (and eating) in the Sukkah.

At the conclusion of Sukkot, the holiday of Simchat Torah marks the conclusion of the annual Torah reading cycle. At Congregation Beth Sholom, we celebrate Simchat Torah by dancing with the Torah.  Simchat Torah is also the holiday when we welcome new religious school students with a consecration service.

The Chanukah celebration at Congregation Beth Sholom focuses on the annual Chanukah Fair sponsored by our Religious School Chaverim. Nosh on latkes and sufganiot (Israeli –style jelly doughnuts), design and build your own Chanukah menorah, and shop for Chanukah decorations and gifts at our Chanukah Bazaar. On the Shabbat of Chanukah, join us for Shabbat services filled with Chanukah songs stories. We bring a Chanukah menorah from home to light at the beginning of services.

We celebarte the birthday of the trees with a Shabbat Tu b’Shevat program held during Friday evening services. Our religious school Tu b’Shevat program includes a ceremonial tree-planting and the tasting of the first fruits of the season.

Each year, Congregation Beth Sholom holds a community seder welcoming all, on the second night of Passover. A favorite program of our membership, the community seder is open to members and non-members alike. On the Sunday during Passover, join us for Beth Sholom’s Matzah Brei Breakfast.  Proceeds from the Matzah Brei Breakfast support our religious school, Camp Chaverim, and youth programming at Congregation Beth Sholom.

On Yom HaShoah, we gather as a Congregation to honor the memory of the victims and the survivors of the Holocaust. In addition to memorial prayers, each year’s program includes an educational component that aims to keep the memory of the Holocaust.

On the Shabbat of Yom Ha’atzmaut, we gather in the sanctuary for a Shabbat program in honor of Israel’s independence.

A highlight of Spring at Congregation Beth Sholom is our Shavuot in the Vineyard program. On the Shabbat closest to Shavuot, we celebrate the giving of the Torah at Diamond Creek Vineyards in Calistoga. We hold services lakeside in the shade of the pines followed by a picnic lunch and a day of swimming and lounging in the sun.