This coming fall Jewish high holiday season, I fear that fewer Jews will be in the pews. It’s already bad enough that the vast majority of American Jews are uninterested in appearing at a house of worship within a week after Yom Kippur’s end.

Now we’re in real trouble if due to the economic turndown, more of those who at least marginally affiliate decide the cost isn’t worthwhile.

You can cite the familiar reasons: cost, boredom, better choices, alienation, etc. All of those excuses come down to two main reasons, one unspoken and one often not discussed: money and the boredom. Fortunately, both can be dealt with and many people are hard at work on just those topics.

When it comes to cost, there are two dynamics at work.

The first is that it is obviously expensive to join most synagogues, particularly larger ones. And if you’re not going to use it, is the $2,000 or so a year worthwhile (sometimes including, sometimes not including a building fund)? An obvious response to people who say no is “Use it more.” The problem is that doesn’t fly with most people.

That brings us to the second factor: In general synagogues do not do such a good job in engaging their members’ many needs. One good effort to change that is the Shleimut program being employed at Beth Israel Congregation in Owings Mills and elsewhere. It brings in a social worker and a nurse on a regular basis on weekdays to be available to congregants who want “wellness counseling.” Obviously, that gives people a powerful message: Your synagogue cares and can change your life.

Now let’s not beat on ourselves (and yes, I’m active in a synagogue). I know that volunteers and professionals are overwhelmed with what they need to do before even thinking about what they could do. Yet, let’s recognize that our synagogues need a “usefulness gut check” from top to bottom, one involving all staff and volunteer leaders in discussions about how realistically more of people’s needs can be reached.

If we don’t do this, I fear that even more current members will leave in the next few years. Thousands have already done so in Baltimore alone. Not sure? Check affiliation rates of today vs. those of 15 years ago.

Finally, we simply have to deal with the boredom factor. You know and I know exactly what’s going to happen at High Holiday services this year. For some, that’s comforting like an old, warm blanket. For others, it’s just boring. We don’t need rabbis popping out of cakes and cantors swinging from the trapeze, but we do need to make it all more fun. And yes, entertaining while delivering profound spiritual messages. And we ought to be offering snacks throughout so that people – particularly with kids – don’t need to run home to grab something to eat … and turn on the TV, and make a few calls, start a project and so on.

We need coffee in the hallways. We need ongoing discussions in other rooms—and we need to end them right before the rabbi’s sermon and make it known that we ask them now to all come in for the big talk.

Most of all, we need to give them new reasons to come back within a few weeks.

Is your synagogue doing any of that? Would it make a difference to you if it did? Is it doing something else that works? What else should we be doing?

It’s sad that the only comments on Neil Rubin’s thoughtful piece are concerned with grammatical errors. The larger point that Neil is trying to make should not be ignored.

I agree that the money factor and the boredom factor are both operating here. For the overwhelming majority of American Jews, synagogue membership dues are a discretionary expense. And most people are choosing to spend their discretionary dollars elsewhere.

Part of discretionary spending goes toward entertainment, whether it’s seeing a movie, going to an Orioles game, or eating dinner in a nice restaurant. Synagogues are competing with all of these and many more, whether they like it or not. Even if synagogues step up their entertainment value, as Neil suggests, they will never be able to compete successfully with these and multiple other forms of entertainment.

Even sadder than the hopeless attempt for synagogues to compete in entertainment value, they can’t even compete when people are seeking a spiritual experience. My husband and I recently visited Cooperstown, NY for induction weekend at the Baseball Hall of Fame. We were first-timers, but many of the people we met there are “worshippers” who come every year. For them, this is a pilgrimage. They are seeking spiritual uplift and a meaningful connection - and they aren’t finding it in their local house of worship.

Actually, Frank, you might need to learn how to read.

The word Neil uses here, “less,” is incorrect. The correct word is “fewer,” and you don’t see it because Rubin doesn’t care to correct an obvious error, even when it is brought to his attention.

Once you learn how to read, I suggest you google “less fewer” to learn the correct grammar usage rules.

Stuart, what are you talking about? I don’t see the word “fewer” in the text? At least you can spell SAT correctly.

Neil,

I couldn’t get past the first line of this.

Any capable writer knows the correct word here is “fewer,” not “less.”

This really is basic SAT stuff.

Still, its not as bad as Buerger using the word “squash” when he probably (but who knows?) meant “quash.”