Rosh Hashanah
Free Service Options for the
High Holidays This Year
I JARRAD SAFFREN | STAFF WRITER
t’s a well-known fact, repeated oft en
in the Jewish Exponent, that syna-
gogue attendance and membership
are declining. But on the High Holidays,
even many unaffi liated Jews feel a need
to repent. Th at is why local synagogues
still off er options for nonmembers.

If you are Jewish, unaffi liated and
living in the Philadelphia area, below
are some options for you. But bear in
mind that in 2020s America, the syna-
gogues that off er this also need to take
security measures.

Be prepared to contact the offi ce or
fi ll out a form beforehand to let syna-
gogue leaders know you are coming.

Also be prepared to see armed guards
and greeters outside of buildings as you
Congregation Shivtei Yeshuron Ezras Israel is opening its small sanctuary
to all who wish to attend High Holiday services this year.

PHILADELPHIA on Sunday, October 2 nd, 2022
rain or shine 10:30 a.m.

28 SEPTEMBER 22, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
SUBURBS Congregation Adath Jeshurun
(Conservative) 7763 Old York Road, Elkins Park
In-person but must register:
adathjeshurun.info/ B’nai Abraham Chabad
527 Lombard St.

In-person but must register:
phillyshul.com/highholidays2022/ Aish Chaim (Orthodox)
345 Montgomery Ave., Bala Cynwyd
In-person but must register: form.

jotform.com/212286921202145 Jewish Children’s Folkshul
(Nondenominational) 8000 Cherokee St.

In-person and Zoom but must
register: folkshul.org/
Beth Chaim Reform Congregation
389 Conestoga Road, Malvern
In-person and virtual
but must register:
bethchaimreformcongregation. shulcloud.com/form/2022-high-
holiday-registration-for-nonmembers. html
Congregation Rodeph Shalom
(Reform) 615 N. Broad St.

Must register for livestream:
tfaforms.com/5007553 Congregation Shivtei Yeshuron
Ezras Israel (Orthodox)
2015 S. Fourth St.

“Free and all are welcome”:
thelittleshul.org/ Broadcasting service live on our website
Free but must register:
southphiladelphiashtiebel.breezechms. com/form/426f12
South Philadelphia Shtiebel
(Orthodox) 1321 S. Juniper St.

Bensalem Jewish Outreach Center
(Nondenominational) 2446 Bristol Road, Bensalem
In-person but must register:
bensalemoutreach.org/events/342/ high-holiday39s-explanatory-services/
Kesher Israel Congregation
(Nondenominational) 1000 Pottstown Pike, West Chester
In-person but must register: kesher-israel.

org/worship/high-holiday-information/ Photo by Joel Spivak
walk in. And if you attend a service vir-
tually, do not expect it to be interactive.

Zoom bombers have hit too many area
synagogues for comfort in recent years.

Th ese are just the realities that Jewish
institutions are dealing with today,
according to shul leaders. On that note,
here’s the list, noting that there may be
other options not included below.




Congregation Or Shalom (Conservative)
835 Darby Paoli Road, Berwyn
Zoom but must register: orshalom.com/holy-
days-services-detail/ Temple Sholom in Broomall (Reform)
55 Church Lane, Broomall
Virtual: temple-sholom.org/webcast/
Synagogue leaders at several of these places spoke
of a balance this High Holiday season. They want to
uphold the role of a shul as “a place where any Jew
should walk in and pray,” as Rabbi Binyomin Davis
of Aish Chaim put it. But they also understand the
need to protect their members.

Davis’ congregation faced an intruder situation
at an outdoor Yom Kippur service on the Main
Line last fall. Luckily, Aish Chaim’s security team
stopped the woman before she could enter. But it
underscored the point.

The Bala Cynwyd congregation will be back
indoors this year as COVID becomes less of a threat.

While the indoor space should offer additional pro-
tection, it is no excuse to ease up, according to Davis.

He is bringing on the same security team, Protexia,
to monitor this year’s proceedings. This policy is no
different from what Aish Chaim does every week at
Shabbat services, too.

“It’s always a possibility, and it is a concern,” the
rabbi said. “We aren’t frisking people yet and making
them go through a security barrier. I hope it doesn’t
come to that.”
Congregation Shivtei Yeshuron Ezras Israel is tak-
ing a similar approach. As attendees walk into ser-
vices, they will see an armed guard in plain clothes
and a greeter from the synagogue. The greeter, likely
a congregant or a member of the synagogue’s board,
will ask nonmembers questions as they walk in and
then speak to them for a few minutes.

The goal, according to shul President Richard
Sisman, is to get a feel for whether “they are legiti-
mate or not.”
“The High Holidays are more likely to attract peo-
ple we aren’t familiar with,” he added.

An in-person event is going to need more security
than a virtual one. So at Temple Sholom in Broomall,
leaders are balancing openness with safety by open-
ing up their digital space.

Only a livestream will be available to nonmem-
bers. It will be secure, according to temple Executive
Director Jeff Green, because people will not be able
to engage during the service. A livestream is not a
Zoom, Green explained. Attendees cannot just jump
in and write what they want on the screen.

“In the virtual space that we’re in, the worst that’s
going to happen is someone’s going to post some-
thing obnoxious on our Facebook page, and then
we’ll just take it down,” the executive director said.

At the same time, Jews who want a service will be
able to find one. With the livestream, no one will be
limited by geography or a health condition or any
other factor, Green said. JE
MAY THE NEW YEAR
BE EVER JOYOUS
FOR YOU AND
YOUR FAMILY
FROM: POST #706 JWV
jsaffren@midatlanticmedia.com JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
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