High Holidays

High Holidays Apple and Honey

Welcoming the Stranger in 5787

As congregations and communities prepare for the High Holidays during a year that has fundamentally challenged an American commitment to welcome, HIAS has curated resources for your efforts to support refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants for the holidays and beyond. Find the following High Holiday resources below:

  • Liturgical resources for use in services including our new interpretive reading of Aleinu, in addition to resources from years past at the bottom of this page.
  • Core features of the U.S. asylum system built in response to the global failure to protect Jews in the Holocaust are being newly dismantled. Mobilize your community to join our campaign for public comments that will be used in support of HIAS’ fight to maintain the integrity and fairness of the asylum process. Take action here.

Liturgical Readings and Textual Resources

A framing of the Jewish new year by Rabbi Lauren Grabelle-Herrmann.

A meditation on the sounding of shofar for Rosh Hashanah.

A reflection on the cosmic accidents that call us to compassion.

A reflection on access to safety, dignity, and welcome.

A prophetic call to bring the refugee home for Yom Kippur.

This resource is a compilation of the most common texts cited in support of refugees and immigrants with citations from biblical, rabbinic, and contemporary sources.

Together, we can help create a world in which refugees find welcome, safety, and opportunity.

Your gift will help us provide vital services to refugees and asylum seekers and advocate for their fundamental rights so they can rebuild their lives.