ARE SYNAGOGUES
"MEMBERS-ONLY" CLUBS ?

By Rabbi Steven Schonblum

Does one have to be a member of a synagogue in order to attend services?

Unlike health or country clubs, one does not need to be a member of a synagogue in order to attend services. In fact, simply being a member of the Jewish faith allows you to enter any synagogue at any time, world wide. This in itself is quite a formidable membership package.

There is, however one exception; most synagogues sell tickets for the High Holiday services, comprising only of three days out of the year, on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The reason for this is that since so many people attend services on these three days, the synagogues are forced to allocate tickets so that the members of the organization are able to find seats.

Aside from these three days of the year, one can feel free to attend any shul on any given day. Keep in mind, that most synagogues which have daily services are open 365 days out of the year, including Boxing Day and yes, even Superbowl Sunday.

Copyright (c) 2001-2008 Rabbi Steven Schonblum

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