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Aug 22, 2019
charging to go into a shul
The news is reporting about an army unit on tour in tel Aviv that wanted to go into the Great Synagogue. Upon entry they were asked to pay 10nis each, which they refused and were thus refused entry.
The president of the shul was asked on the radio about the incident and he explained that the shul cannot afford the expenses of maintaining the shul so they charge a 10nis entrance fee to help defray costs. He later added that they will consider giving a discount to soldiers or possibly waiving the entire entrance fee.
I get it. A shul is not cheap to maintain, especially with a dwindling congregation. Personally if I go to a shul to daven I try to always make sure to give a shekel or two donation in the pushke, and of course I am a member of my regular shul and pay membership fees. That shekel or two that I give is a donation, sort of a thank you for being available for having the lights on, for having air conditioning or heating, for having the water running in the bathrooms - it is not and should not be an obligation.
Do they have the right to charge for entry? Sure, I guess so. But, charging an entrance fee to go into a shul is one of the surest ways to stop people from coming to shul. Charge for the High Holidays tickets - that is normal, even if nowadays it is trendy to not charge because millennials think they should not have to pay even for that, charge membership fees for people who come regularly. Charge for turning on the air conditioner. Charging for walking through the front door is just a bad idea. And if you are going to charge for just walking in, it better be worth it. Whatever is behind that door better be an amazing show.
The president of the shul was asked on the radio about the incident and he explained that the shul cannot afford the expenses of maintaining the shul so they charge a 10nis entrance fee to help defray costs. He later added that they will consider giving a discount to soldiers or possibly waiving the entire entrance fee.
I get it. A shul is not cheap to maintain, especially with a dwindling congregation. Personally if I go to a shul to daven I try to always make sure to give a shekel or two donation in the pushke, and of course I am a member of my regular shul and pay membership fees. That shekel or two that I give is a donation, sort of a thank you for being available for having the lights on, for having air conditioning or heating, for having the water running in the bathrooms - it is not and should not be an obligation.
Do they have the right to charge for entry? Sure, I guess so. But, charging an entrance fee to go into a shul is one of the surest ways to stop people from coming to shul. Charge for the High Holidays tickets - that is normal, even if nowadays it is trendy to not charge because millennials think they should not have to pay even for that, charge membership fees for people who come regularly. Charge for turning on the air conditioner. Charging for walking through the front door is just a bad idea. And if you are going to charge for just walking in, it better be worth it. Whatever is behind that door better be an amazing show.
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There is an old joke about a shul that charged admission for High Holidays. A young man decides he wants to enter the shul to give a message to his father. So he walks up, when the usher (yes, they used to have those) stops him, and asks, “Did you pay for a ticket? If not, no entry.”
ReplyDelete“But I just want to go in to tell my father something,” he answered.
“Okay,” replied the usher. “But just make sure, no praying!”
Sad, sad world. Ridiculous and what about Shabbat when someone who might be a tourist wants to go in and daven. Do they let in someone they've never seen?
ReplyDeleteMy old shul where I grew up in, used to have chazzanim whom they paid for, in the upstairs shul.
DeleteYou had to buy a special yarmulkah as an admission ticket.
interesting. what was special about the yarmulkes?
DeleteAnother joke is that both sides are right. Shul are not state institutions, but are owned and run by private individuals, whose one and only purpose is to have a respectable and comfortable place to pray. They are not into kiruv (unless Chabad). The other side expect a shul to be an open and warm place that does not charge for entry. Now how can those two sides be reconciled?
ReplyDeleteand that is why Chabad generally doesnt even charge for high holiday services (though donations are welcome)..
Deleteas an aside, the irya was asked about this incident and they said that they do not fund the shul so it is private and the irya cannot dictate to them whether they can or cannot charge for entry
I used to take American teenage tours to Tzfat (among other places), it was common to be asked for an entrance fee or a donation for groups visiting some of the historic shuls there - we were not entering the shul to pray, rather as an historic site, so I think it was reasonable to ask for a donation. As the tour leader, I had the cash available and paid, just as I would have if I was taking the group to a museum or other site. If there was no set fee I would still leave a donation (from the group expense account) and depending on the group, may have encouraged to drop a coin or 2 in the pushke on the way out.
DeleteThis wasn't a group going in to daven - it was a tour group. Big difference.
ReplyDelete