High Holy Days: Synagogues Help Struggling Families With Free Tickets To Services

As families strapped for cash evaluate their budgets this Jewish holiday season, synagogues are rethinking how they collect funds and maintain their membership.

Some synagogues are addressing the needs of struggling families by offering free tickets to attend services during the High Holy Days, which begin Sept. 28 with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

"There's been a lot of conversation about doing away with the whole dues issue and letting people really give what they want to give," Miriam Van Raalte, temple administrator at Temple Beth Tikvah in Fullerton, Calif., told the Huffington Post. "There's a lot of thought that we could do a whole lot better financially if we just leave it open."

But since tickets and dues are a major source of funding, synagogues have to look elsewhere for fiscal support.

"Synagogues are not like the churches," Van Raalte said. "We don't have a central organization where we can get funding."

Synagogues rely on money from members, much of which comes during the high holiday season, to fund programs and pay building costs.

"I have people say 'I'm a Jew. I shouldn't have to pay to pray,' " Rabbi Rick Sherwin, of Congregation Beth Am in Longwood, Fla. told the Orlando Sentinel. "It's not paying to pray. It's paying for air conditioning, lights and staff and clergy."

Van Raalte's temple makes arrangements so that those individuals suffering from financial hardship can remain members, ranging from family sponsorship to reduced fees. The synagogue has relied on the generosity of others within the community who have the means to give, and has never turned away anyone who can't afford to pay dues.

"We do this on an honor system," Van Raalte said. "We find that those who cannot participate fully one year might have circumstances that change and they help to support those that helped them in the past."

Her synagogue has not only been fortunate enough to maintain its membership, but it was also able to build a new school building. The $3 million project was funded completely by private donations, Van Raalte said.

She feels successful membership retention and donation lies in the ability to master a spiritual marketing system where synagogues offer both programs Jews can't get elsewhere in the community in addition to activities they can get outside of their religious community. Beth Tikvah, for example, offers yoga classes on Monday mornings.

The temple isn't alone in its attempts to find innovative ways to encourage worship and participation as a means to find funding.

“The old business model is not necessarily the one that’s going to work nowadays,” Rabbi David Eliezrie, the leader of the Yorba Linda congregation in Calif., told the Washington Post. “We don’t have membership. We just thought we’d get rid of that whole thing.”

But Van Raalte points out, that despite adjusting to change, synagogues remain committed to the goal of fostering a sense of community and offering a spiritual home regardless of individual economic status.

"People who stay away because of financial reasons, I can only imagine that they feel alone," she said. "Take the first step, let us know you're there and we will meet you more than half way."

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Comments

[Stephen Rifkin]

04:14 PM on 10/13/2011

Clearly this is an opportunity for OWS to expand. Occupy all shuls until they give away everything to everyone for free.

[Daveh88]

10:01 PM on 10/02/2011

I know of numerous synagogues that don't charge for seats (some Haredi and every outreach synagogues). It just depends on where you go. Also many synagogues have programs that grant free seats to people in the community who are in financial trouble, though this tends to be be in the more Haredi synagogues in america

[360Dunk]

07:20 PM on 09/30/2011

Maybe this is the future of all churches to keep afloat. Let's just call it a Sunday pray-per-view event and bill each attendee $19.95...Visa, Mastercard, and American Express are welcome. Holiday rates will be $29.95.

[Morgan378]

06:22 PM on 09/30/2011

See? - Ya gotta give it to the Catholics - they get money no matter WHERE it's found. Tithing - damnation - repentance - damnation again - prayers for every sacrement under the sun - Palms on Sunday - Easter Salvations - Christmas offerings - Ash Wednesday - Fat Tuesday (Oh, that's only pancake breakfast in New Orleans), Bingo, Boy Scouts, Community Meetings, Advent, Feast Days, Ascension, Spaghetti dinners with microwaved garlic bread.They got this DOWN! That's why they splintered off from the Jews. Jews could SAVE money - they just didn't know how to "fleece their flocks". Then the Jews became doctors and lawyers and BOOM! they caught up. Islam just threatened murder those who wouldn't convert and there wasn't much money in that. Now, if only the Jews could have BBQ's, Baked Sales - sell magazine subscriptions, candles or candy bars. THEN they'd havva shot. Now it's up to the Jew doctors and lawyers to give money to the synagogues - get the mother's involved - guilt would bring MILLIONS! Have a matso ball soup and knish day. Or do blintzes with sour cream and pickled gefelta fish. Moses's BD or High Temple days. Bagels and Lox with cream cheese sale at men's callings to a piece of the Wall. (It should be broken up a bit and sent around to get in and touch it for $10-$20 bucks.) Whatsa matta wid 'em? Charge an extra quarter for cream cheese - but not $1.25 for an extra Matso

[adamantthe1st21]

09:42 PM on 09/30/2011

and if you call G-D from the shule it s free because it s call collect .

[wl944s]

05:54 PM on 09/30/2011

I suppose it's good that jews charge admission to the synagogue because if they passed around a collection basket it would come back empty.

[mbayrob]

02:53 AM on 10/02/2011

Don't know what your religion or ethnicity is, but you don't know Jack about Jews.

Folks who raise money for charities and causes in the US know more than you do. Studies show that Jews, whatever you might have heard wherever you might have heard it, are actually very free with their money for charity and similar kinds of things.

I don't know if you know any Jews personally. But perhaps you should get to know a few before saying these kinds of things about them.

[phillyfreedom]

09:55 AM on 10/03/2011

YOU SAID: I don't know if you know any Jews personally­. But perhaps you should get to know a few before saying these kinds of things about them.
__________________________________________

@mbayrob

I'm not sure if you're asking me or someone else - but I'll go ahead and respond. I am African American. I know plenty of jews - most of them reserved and racist towards African Americans. They're a bit nicer in New York, even more so on the West Coast...but here in Philly they're very racist and opinionated. So much talk about how they participated in the Civil Rights Movement - I say they were "marching" for whiteness....not civil rights.

I see you take issue with the poster referring to jews as cheap, but you have no problem with another basically referring to a Baptist minister as someone who drives a Cadillac and wears three-piece suits. See, you just made my point.

[Daveh88]

09:46 PM on 10/02/2011

Which is why according to the data, Jews give more charity per-capita than any other group in America.

What do you have against jews?

[Matthew V Johnson]

05:25 PM on 09/30/2011

Many churches do not have central funding sources either. In fact those that do rely on other churches to provide the funds in the first place.

[notaspellingace]

05:02 PM on 09/30/2011

We should be taxing all religion. Tax all their income tax, and their property. Clergy's retirement fund should be tax the same way any other retirement fund is taxed and end tax free parsonage allowances. There is no reason why the government should subsidize religions and that is precisely what the government is doing, forcing citizens to pay for public services which religions don’t pay for. In fact everyone who attends religious service should pay entertainment tax, just like anyone else has to pay as part of their ticket price when they go to a move or concert.
There is no reason why the government should subsidize religious superstitious nonsense.

[fordgarye]

04:17 PM on 09/30/2011

Recently in a conversation with a friend, I spoke about the membership charges at my synagogue. She seemed horrified at what I was being asked to pay (over $1500.00 per year). When I reminded her that she was giving a weekly/annual tithe to her church of 10%, she gave it a second thought and agreed perhaps it wasn't outrageous. Since I live only on Social Security, the membership fee was impossible, but there was an agreement for me to pay what I could afford - the the synagogue graciously accepted it. I was not turned away. My temple is important to me - it cannot operate without cash - and so, those who can, pay the full amount and they know that there are others who cannot pay the same. I don't believe anyone would be turned away, but pride might prevent someone from even approaching to see if some arrangement could be made. And yes, there are poor and low income Jews!

[phillyfreedom]

05:12 PM on 09/30/2011

@ fordgarye

You Said: Recently in a conversati­on with a friend, I spoke about the membership charges at my synagogue. She seemed horrified at what I was being asked to pay (over $1500.00 per year). When I reminded her that she was giving a weekly/ann­ual tithe to her church of 10%, she gave it a second thought and agreed perhaps it wasn't outrageous­.

__________________________________________________________________________

Tithing in churches is optional. Placing money in a basket at Church is optional as well. You can chose to give ZERO dollars and you are still welcome in the church. Best of all - the minister does not feel the need to show up on your doorstep with "tickets", making you feel like an inadequate charity case, as there are no tickets needed to begin with - even on the bigger holidays. You simply show up.

[Rubberfish]

07:01 PM on 09/30/2011

Tithing is optional? Since when is it an option? Most churches depend on the tithes to pay their pastors and EXPECT it. (Or let me rephrase it: the pastor wants to buy a new Cadillac and the suits to go with it, so you better pay up. There's a lifestyle to be maintained!)

[adamantthe1st21]

09:47 PM on 09/30/2011

if you divorced 3 jewish women of course you' ll end up extremely poor !

[flippy1409]

04:04 PM on 09/30/2011

I understand the funding logic versus the funding that comes from a central religious denominational bank like the Catholics.

But every denomination passes the plate; this argument simply doesn't cut it

If I were Jewish, I would be so pissed off if someone stood between me and G-d's altar on a High Holy Day...because I didn't pay to get in. It really doesn't get any simpler than that, now does it !!

[Ziegler21WP]

01:18 PM on 09/30/2011

So my non-Jewish friends, here's the deal. Synagogues are not funded by some central authority or TV fund-raisers. We follow the do it yourself "business model" and we like it that way. In the Jewish tradition, many prayers should be said as a community; other should be said alone. For example, on Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement) we ask forgiveness as a congregation.
So we pay dues and they are often hefty to support those who can not afford to pay. I have been a member of a synagogue all of my life, and served on the Board of Directors of the one I have belonged to for the past 25 years. No one has ever been excluded because they could not afford the dues. We have a dues schedule but for those who cannot afford the dues, pay less. We are able to do this because those who can afford to pay more, pay more. And these dues and contributions pay for such "frills" as as maintaining the building, keeping the lights on, paying a modest salary to the rabbi , the educator who runs the religious school and those who teach our kids. We also pay a modest salary to those who run the ofice, provide the sadly necesssary security and our small custodial staff.

[woodbutcherjohn]

02:51 PM on 09/30/2011

Doesn't tithing play a part in a Synagogues financing?

[flippy1409]

04:06 PM on 09/30/2011

Of course it does. The argument about a lack of central funding doesn't cut it. Any personage that tried to stand between myself and G-d's altar on a High Holy Day would be very sorry for trying to do so...and NOT succeed in such crap, I assure you

[bonnieb333]

04:39 PM on 09/30/2011

Hmmmmm . . . sounds to me exactly what Obama is trying to do with our tax situation, no? Those who have the money and pay more help those who are less fortunate and cannot afford to pay to attend the high holy days' services.

Sounds fair to me . . . a balance between the "haves" and the "have nots."

[mose joseph workman]

01:02 PM on 09/30/2011

Judaism has always been centered in the home, not the temple. Study the Old Testament and see how one of the twelve tribes went into the business of religion and carved out a uniquely privileged lifestyle for themselves, having convinced the other tribes that God demanded one-tenth off the top from every family as an offering which the priests enjoyed (from whence we get "tithing": one-tenth). Almost 6,000 years later, the temple has not kept up with the times. The tribes have disbanded and assimilated, and most Jews report to the temple only twice a year now. They now attend weekly services in theatres, where they view the remnants of their culture on stage and screen, the stars of which have become spokesmen for their generation and the major supporters of Jewish charities. In the process, Judaism has slowly lost its relevancy in the world, as Jews marry out of their faith and seek to overcome the prejudices that have worked against us for thousands of years.

[bigred8690]

12:47 PM on 09/30/2011

Maybe the problem is achieving a certain economy of scale. I am not a big fan of mega churches, but part of the logic is that all those extra worshippers don't result in much of a marginal increase in light bills, heat, water usage, etc. At some point, you've got enough supporter to pay the bills, then you just draw in more people who want to test the waters before they commit.

[metsbubbe]

12:45 PM on 09/30/2011

I love my Chabad :o) - L'Shana Tova, readers, may your names be inscribed into the Book of Life. May this new year be one of good health and happiness.

[adamantthe1st21]

10:02 PM on 09/30/2011

happy new year to you too ! and a better economy for more kessef ! ( shekel or gelt )

[eturoel]

11:24 AM on 09/30/2011

Having to pay in order to pray to the Almighty ? How disgusting !
The solution to this abomination is very simple: Since the Almighty is everywhere and can hear every word - spoken aloud or not - my church is everywhere. I can pray anywhere at any time in any way I choose.

[lbpatt]

12:16 PM on 09/30/2011

Yes you can, and some of us are praying for you to graduate high school and learn some things about the real world.

[eturoel]

12:12 AM on 10/04/2011

On one hand you agree with me and then, on the other hand, you question my IQ.
The real world is what you make it - has it ever occurred to you that your real world excludes all poor people - and in a real world they do exist - from praying in a house of worship at a time when prayer is closest to their heart ? Does the cry "Sanctuary ! Sanctuary !" ring a bell ?
Has it ever occurred to you that those who have more than they need could buy an admission ticket to the house of worship - just the thought of this appalls me - for those who can barely make ends meet ?
Of course, there is the story of a volunteer collecting donations for a worthy cause. A very poor man, who really could not afford it, gave him a dollar. When he visited a very rich man, this very rich man gave him a quarter and all the Angels in Heaven started singing and praising this man's name.
One of the departed souls asked St. Peter, how come when the poor man contributed a lot more than he could afford, all the Angels never said a word, but when the rich man donated an amount he would not even notice, all the Angels praised this man ?
And this was St. Peter's reply: To get a quarter from a very rich man is much harder than getting a dollar from

[flippy1409]

04:07 PM on 09/30/2011

I will never pay to pray, and woe be to the SOB who tries to impose that upon me

[Glenn Harris]

10:44 AM on 09/30/2011

How generous of them to not charge poor people money to come and worship G-d! I'm floored! How about just stop charging dues altogether, and let people give of their own free will.

[lbpatt]

12:17 PM on 09/30/2011

You apparently know little, or nothing, about the Jewish faith or organized religion.

[woodbutcherjohn]

03:00 PM on 09/30/2011

I don't know much about the Jewish faith or organized religion either, but I can tell you that the small church that I attend is ran entirely by tithes or other free will giving. It's a no frills church without a school, but we manage to keep the doors open to anyone who wants to attend.