Recustom is here to support you in creating meaningful rituals for the High Holidays. Below are our frequently asked questions.  For more information, visit our How It Works Page.

YOUR HIGHHOLIDAYSATHOME.COM ACCOUNT 

Do I have to sign-in?

The best way to use Recustom's High Holiday page is to create an account. That way, you can browse our entire library of clips and booklets, save a clip, submit your own content, or create a booklet.  

I'm uploading an image, what size should it be?

It's best to make your image square format if possible, and at least 800 pixels on each side. This means your image will be large enough to print clearly on a full page or can be scaled down to a smaller size if desired. You may need to upload smaller images since we can only accommodate files of 12MB or less.

How do I print my booklet?

Select your booklet in your library. At the top right corner, click download. You have the option either to donate and then download, which we appreciate and which helps keep our site accessible, or to just download. Either way, your booklet is available as a PDF or Word Document, with portrait or landscape formats available. We recommend downloading in portrait mode for easier printing or viewing on a screen. 

My community wants to collaborate on a booklet. How can we do this?

You can add collaborators to any booklet. First, open the Edit booklet page and make sure your booklet is set to "public". You'll find this option with the title editing tool. Then select "invite collaborators" at the top right of the Edit booklet page. You may then enter the email addresses of anyone that you'd like to invite, as well as a personal message. Each individual will then be directed to create a personal account so that they can access the shared booklet and independently add clips.

I want to add an image from an old family booklet. How can I do this?

There are two options: 1) Use your scanner at home to scan a copy of this page. Save it as a JPG and upload it as an image clip. 2) Enter just the text on the page as an editable clip. You can enter text by typing directly into the text field, or copying and pasting text from a word processing document into the field. Scroll down to the Adding/Editing Content section for more information. 

Can I upload a full PDF with several pages?

At this time, all content is formatted into modular "clips" which can be mixed and matched from one booklet to another. We suggest taking images and texts from your PDF and creating individual clips from them. Upload the images as JPG, GIF or PNG files, and copy and paste the text into the clip text editor. However, if you have something that you think is really special and you'd like to share the full PDF, email us and we'll help find a way to make it work.

How do I add/change the cover image? 

On the Edit booklet page, you'll see a row near the top with the cover and background.

 

ADDING/EDITING CONTENT 

Can I copy and edit a full booklet?

If you love a featured booklet, you now can use any featured booklet as a template and add your clips to personalize it. Just look for the red button next to the book's title that says "Use As My Booklet Template." This tutorial video will show you how easy it is to add clips to a booklet.  

Can I edit someone else's clip?

Not at this time. We want to preserve the creative ownership of each author's content, so we only let the author of that clip make copy edits. You can, however, make edits offline once you download a Word Doc of your booklet. So we recommend saving the clip as-is to your booklet, and then making changes privately. 

How do I add a clip from a featured booklet into my booklet? 

Open the featured booklet (like this one) in preview mode, then click on the name of the clip you like, such as Kiddush for Rosh Hashanah.  On the left side of the page is a blue box that says Add to Booklet. Click there and a pop-up will appear with the booklets you have created.

Click the name of the booklet where you want to add the clip and select the section, then click Add Clip. 

How do I add a clip I have saved to one of my booklets?

Open your booklet in edit mode, then scroll to the section where you want to add a clip and select Add Clip. A menu of clips will appear, including ones you’ve created, bookmarked or that have been contributed by other site users. Select the clip(s) you want and they will be added to that section of your booklet.

How do I change content from public to private or vice versa?

For both Booklets and Clips, find the booklet or clip in your Library and select Edit. In the gray bar at the top, click Edit Title right after the title of the booklet or clip and toggle between private and public. 

How do I create a clip with an image? 

Create a new clip with a title, category and section, then select your privacy preference. In the top right corner, click on the icon that looks like a mountain with a sun.

Select an image that is saved on your computer, you can upload a PNG, GIF, JPG or JPEG. Click upload and a thumbnail of your image will appear just above the clip. Add the source of the image on the bottom left if you did not create it. Do NOT paste the image in the body of the clip, it will not work.

How do I create a clip with music?

Create a new clip with a title, category and section, then select your privacy preference. In the top right corner, click on the icon that looks like a music note.

Find the Embed Code on Spotify, Soundcloud or another service and paste the code where it says Upload Audio Link. Add text if you want and include the source of the song on the bottom left. If you did it correctly - a thumbnail will appear just above the clip. Do NOT paste the URL for the song, it will not work. Here's an example of what your clip should look & sound like.

How do I create a clip with a video? 

Create a new clip with a title, category and section, then select your privacy preference. In the top right corner, click on the icon that looks like a movie camera. Then, find the Embed Code on YouTube or Vimeo.

On YouTube: find Share under the video, select Embed and copy the code that appears. Return to your clip and paste the code where it says Upload Video.

On Vimeo: Select the paper airplane icon on the right side to Share, copy the code the appears under the word Embed. Return to your clip and paste the code where it says Upload Video.

Add text to if you want and include the source of the video on the bottom left. If you did it correctly - a thumbnail will appear just above the clip.  Do NOT paste the URL for the video, it will not work. Here’s an example of what your video should look and sound like.

I downloaded a Word Doc, but the Hebrew looks funny. What should I do?

If your Hebrew language text gets reversed when you download your booklet to Word, you can use this tool to reverse the text back. You can also add the version of Word to include the Hebrew language pack. Some users have also found that if they open the document in Google Docs, the Hebrew looks fine. To update your languages in Microsoft Word, read more here.   

 

OUR RECOMMENDATIONS

I don't have much time, which curated High Holiday booklets do you recommend? 

For Rosh Hashanah, we recommend our 10-Minute Rosh Hashanah Seder and our High Holiday Cookbook. 

For Yom Kippur, we like this Yom Kippur Ritual. 

For Sukkot, download our curated Sukkot Gathering  whether you have a sukkah or not. 

For children and families, we have a Shana Tova Coloring Book and a Sukkot Coloring Book.  

Want to go deeper and reflect on the year that's passed and the one to come? Check out our High Holiday activity guides like Seeker Season and Turn & Return. 

 

ABOUT [email protected]  

How do you know that the texts on this site are not prohibited under copyright?

We do our best to review the content submitted daily, but we also ask our users to contribute based on an honor system. If you see a clip that you believe violates copyright restrictions, please inform us and we'll review it immediately. We require all of our users to follow our Sharing Policy.

Do I have to donate to download?

No, but it really helps us maintain the site! We're a small non-profit and we run almost entirely on your donations.  If there's a feature that you'd like to add, chances are that we want to add it too, we just need to fundraise for the technology. Plus, your donation is tax-deductible! With that said, we want Jewish content to be accessible for everyone. If you feel that you can't afford to give this year, don't worry about it. We're still happy to help you create a meaningful High Holiday experience.

You can donate here: https://highholidaysathome.com/donate 

Who runs this site and how do I contact them?

This site is run by Recustom, a small nonprofit comprised of staff, freelancers, partners, and consultants. You can contact our team anytime at [email protected] 

Anything we missed?

Write us at [email protected]