The Hard Economics Of High Holy Days

[rug]

by Barbara Bradley Hagerty
September 27, 2011

Over the next two weeks, some 5,000 people will fill the sanctuaries at Adas Israel Congregation in Washington, D.C., to pray, worship and remember their spiritual roots.

"Rosh Hashana is a time of renewal, and it's a time of reconnecting with what really matters for us as a Jewish people," Rabbi Gil Steinlauf says.

The Jewish New Year is a time of spiritual awe — and practical considerations. Unlike churches, most synagogues charge membership dues to keep the lights on and fund the programs.

"The bread and butter of how you make a synagogue run is membership dues, that's how it works," he says. "Obviously, we also engage in fundraising, but to keep the lights on and to keep everything running on a weekly and daily basis, we run on the dues that come in from memberships."

http://www.npr.org/2011/09/27/140840049/the-hard-economics-of-high-holy-days

[Angry Dragon]

1. Follow the money

[xchrom]

2. A Gut Yor. Nt

[rug]

3. A sheynem dank!

[Meshuga]

4. Or simply...

Shanah tovah! :-)

[xchrom]

6. Shanah Tovah! Nt

[Meshuga]

5. Adas Israel is a beautiful congregation that provides a lot of services

I can see how they would have trouble keeping it up in a bad economy.