…where real efforts where made to help you find employment
…where finding shidduchim for singles was a top active priority
…where everybody really does know your name
…where you’ve shared a Shabbos or Yom Tov meal with many other families
…where meals and minyanim where arranged when you where sitting Shiva
…where people came out for your Shalom Zacher
…where you can rely on member recommendations to find contractors and help
…where people shared in your joys
…where you could find people to talk to when times where tough
That’s the social direction in which a Growth Culture Shul is headed.
What Mark Frankel described is not a shul;
it is a perfectly united community.
Mr. Cohen, in many locations, the Shul is the central organizational structure of the community or sub-community.
hmmm, yes.
Interestingly, the shul we call “ours” has most of the above.
Most of the items listed are of a non-spiritual slant, but that might have been the point.
When it comes to Chesed, physical needs are a primary concern.
Ah-ha, so these all fall under the category of “chessed”… nice.
I come from London, where ones shul is not necessary a choice of where one would like to belong, but rather the selected shul of all the shuls on offer that is closes to ones needs, but by no means the ideal. Here in Israel, and more so amongst native Israelis I find in general, that the concept of a shul that is connected to a community, is quite rare. If by chance one of your readers knows of such a shul please do contact me so I can check it out.
Where do I join? And I’ll need seats for my kids. I feel at home already.
I would settle for any shul that had even one of those things. And if you do know such shuls in the NY area please tell.
Imagine a shul that does not ban schnapps at kiddush.