Introduction

Prayer is a central facet of our faith as Jews. Many, however, find it overly rigid or not relevant to life in the modern era. At Metropolitan Synagogue we work on the premise that prayer can indeed be engaging and can draw congregants together to reach out to God, with deeply felt words and music, in uniquely personal ways. Prayer services at the Metropolitan Synagogue include both traditional text recited together as a congregation, in Hebrew and English, as well as time for personal silent prayer and communing with God.

Shabbat Services

Shabbat services are held Fridays 6:00pm-7:00pm, followed by a spirited kiddush. It is a musical, spiritual and uplifting service led by Rabbi Plaut. It also includes a brief but thought provoking topical talk by Rabbi Plaut. This service is the spiritual bedrock of our community and we hope to see you there. Better yet, bring a friend.

Metropolitan Synagogue 2025-2026 Services

The Shabbat schedule for the 2025/2026 year will be as follows, with Shabbat family services / concert from 6:00-7:00 pm at Scandinavia House (58 Park Ave and East 37th St., Murray Hill, New York, NY 10016

October High Holidays:

Thursday September 23, 2025
9:00 am: Rosh Hashanah Morning Service, Shofar Service
12:30 pm: Rosh Hashanah Taschlich (East 35th Street and East River)

Wednesday October 1, 2025
7:00 pm: Yom Kippur Kol Nidre

Thursday October 2, 2025
10:00 am: Yom Kippur Morning Services
2:15-3:15 pm: Yom Kippur Musical Meditation
3:30 pm: Yom Kippur Afternoon Services
4:30 pm: Yom Kippur Yizkor Memorial Services & Neilah

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Friday November 14, 2025: Family Shabbat

Friday December 5, 2025: Hannukah Family Shabbat

Friday January 23, 2026: Tu B’Shevat Family Shabbat

Friday February 27, 2026: Purim Family Shabbat

Friday March 13, 2026: Family Shabbat & Concert

Sunday April 12, 2026: Passover Community Seder at Scandinavia House - all welcome with reservation / rsvp — limited space rsvp by email

Friday May 15, 2026: Shabbat in the Park TBD

Service Times

MEMBERSHIP & DONATION LEVELS FOR HIGH HOLIDAY SERVICES
Singles, Young Professionals, Seniors Membership: $875
Family Membership:  $1,650

FOR GUESTS WHO ARE NOT MEMBERS
$385 to attend Zoom services, or email us to make an agreeable arrangement.

Yom Kippur Pledge: whatever is in your heart to give

You can mail a membership check and general donation to:
Metropolitan Synagogue, PO Box 1432, New York, NY  10276

Or use the donate button below: 

Membership dues for 2023-2024 will remain the same, and include tickets for all High Holidays services:

• $875 for individuals
• $1,650 for families

Senior citizens 70 and over is $500, or for special needs, contact the synagogue. Individual membership includes one ticket to High Holidays services and family membership includes one ticket for each family member to the services. 
Please pay your dues before the holidays.


For guests who are not members, High Holidays tickets are $118 per person for a single service, $180 per person for services for a single holiday and $385 per person for all holiday services. Please reserve your seats before the holidays by mailing your check to the synagogue office or register

To renew your membership and / or register for the High Holidays go to https://rb.gy/mnoiqb. Or, mail checks to the synagogue:



Metropolitan Synagogue

P.O. Box 1432
New York, NY 10276


Please also consider an additional donation pledge (tzedakah) beyond the membership dues to support our exciting community. CLICK HERE to donate today.

Metropolitan Synagogue’s COVID-19 policy is as follows:

• All Metropolitan Synagogue members, staff, visitors, and program attendees over the age of 5 are required to be fully vaccinated, including with boosters if eligible.
• Children under the age of 5 are highly encouraged to be vaccinated.
• Masks are required for all indoor services and programming

We recognize that many of us are feeling enormous fatigue around masking, while for others continued masking creates a stronger feeling of safety. We feel compelled to protect one another by maintaining our policy in this way, as we begin to navigate this next wave of COVID-19.

 

Holidays and Festivals

Tu Bishvat: The new year of the trees, in which new trees are planted.

Purim: Celebrates the rescue of Persian Jews 2,300 years ago by Queen Esther with a carnival and noisemakers.

Passover: Passover signals the birth of the Jewish nation, and recalls the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

Lag B'omer: The Omer period of 49 days from Pesach to Shavuot is a period of sadness, relieved by this 33rd day on which a plague suffered in Roman times supposedly terminated. It is frequently celebrated by outdoor celebrations for children and a disproportionate number of weddings, which cannot take place during the rest of Omer.

Yom Hashoah: A day of remembrance for the victims of the Nazi Holocaust and for resistance fighters.

Yom Hazikaron: Memorial Day for all those fallen in the battles of Israel.

Yom Ha'atzma'ut: A modern festival celebrating Israel's independence is celebrated with prayers in the synagogues.

Shavuot: One of the three pilgrim festivals when the Temple still stood in Jerusalem. It celebrates the revelation of the Torah at Mount Sinai and the wheat harvest. Synagogues are decorated with flowers and dairy foods are eaten.

Tisha B'av: A full day fast mourning the destruction of the first and second Temples in Jerusalem and other tragedies in Jewish history. The Book of Lamentation is read.

Rosh Hashana: New Year's Day, commemorates the creation of the world. The blowing of the ram's horn reminds Jews of Abraham's sacrifice of a ram in place of his son. This festival begins ten days of repentance and self-examination. Apples and pastry dipped in honey are eaten in the hope of a 'sweet' year. According to tradition, during this time, the names of the righteous are inscribed in the book of life, while those who have not repented are recorded for doom. The books are sealed are the holidays by tradition, making the judgment irrevocable.

Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement brings the ten days of repentance to an end. It is the holiest day of the year. Observant Jews neither eat nor drink for a full day.

Sukkot: A harvest festival that also commemorates the forty years the children of Israel spent in the Sinai desert on the way from Egypt to Israel. Temporary huts (singular "suka," plural "Sukkoth") are built and used during this festival for meals and other family activities. The open roof is covered with branches and decorated with fruits. An important part of the festival is having a lulav and an etrog to bless.

Simkhat Torah: The rejoicing of the Torah immediately follows Sukkot and celebrates the end of the annual cycle reading the Torah and its immediate re-commencement. All the scrolls of Torah, followed by the children singing and dancing, are paraded seven times around the synagogues.

Hanukkah: Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabees in 164 BCE won it back from the Syrian Greeks. For the eight evenings of the festival, candles are lit on a special eight-branched candlestick, one on the first evening, two on the second and so on.