Michelle Feigen can’t wait to hear the shofar. Every Rosh Hashanah, the familiar blasts from the ram’s horn send her zooming back through time to her childhood, when the kids would gather in the back of the synagogue to hear the horn kick off another year of possibility.
“It’s wonderful,” she said. “You’ve got five hours of services to get to the good stuff.”
And like tens of thousands of people all over the world, the Lindenhurst, Ill., resident will be heading to her local Chabad-Lubavitch center for the High Holiday services next week, grateful for an open-door policy that does not require tickets to attend.
A third-year returnee to services at the Chabad Jewish Center of Gurnee, Feigen said she values that she can contribute to the Chabad House for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur – as well as year-round – on her terms.
“A lot of places, you can only donate according to their amount,” she explained. “Well, sometimes that’s not in your budget, especially with the economy.”
(To locate High Holiday services and associated programs in your area, click here to access a worldwide directory of events maintained by the Judaism website Chabad.org. For more information about Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, including inspiring videos and informative guides, click here.)
Rabbi Sholom Tenenbaum, director of the Gurnee center about 45 miles north of Chicago, said services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are always inspirational. And the continuing spate of economic bad news – over the past year, his area has been particularly hit by layoffs and foreclosures – underscores just how much people need to be inspired.
“People are anxious and apprehensive,” he said. But the holidays can be used as a time of perspective, and Judaism has a way to live an inspired and meaningful life that gives a person the ability to overcome life’s various challenges.
He’ll use his speeches to get that point across, he said, “so people can find hope and meaning and be able to walk away from it uplifted and charged, to give them the ability to move forward with a more positive outlook.”
In his past 10 years serving this section of Illinois, Tenenbaum has paid close attention to the community’s spiritual and fiscal needs, responding accordingly. This year, he instituted lower Hebrew school tuition rates and crafted a policy that affords extra sensitivity to people’s financial situations when it comes to paying for holiday meals for the entire community. In addition to the open services, the Chabad House will be hosting a community dinner on Sept. 28, the first night of Rosh Hashanah.
“We’re expecting a nice crowd for that,” said Tenenbaum. And although normally he’d charge for such a meal, “we’re going to have people RSVP and they’ll have an option to donate.”
For Rabbi Yisroel Weingarten in Flint, Mich., not charging for services is not a question.
“We have a policy: We’ve never charged and never will charge for seats for High Holiday services,” he said.
Most of the time people make some kind of contribution afterwards, but the prayer is the point, he explained. “We want anyone and everyone to feel that they’re welcome regardless of how they pay or if they pay.”
He wonders if, given the malaise expressed in consumer confidence figures, more people will “tune in” this year because services are both fee-free and a good opportunity to connect with G‑d about their personal situations and stresses.
“Many of the people, they literally pray all the time that something should change here in Flint,” said the rabbi. “Particularly at this time of year, people are intensifying their prayers.”
At locations around the globe, Chabad-Lubavitch run synagogues – including those that operate a membership structure – operate according to the principle that just as heaven’s doors are open to supplications this time of year, a shul’s doors should be open as well.
Itty Shemtov, director of programming and education for The Shul Chabad Lubavitch in West Bloomfield, Mich., said she hopes people use this year’s holidays as a chance to get closer to lives’ true purposes. Finances today – and the lack of finances — are pushing people to learn about life beyond the money, job, career and house they identify with externally, she explained. “They need to experience life where it means more than just a house, and people find that in celebrating Judaism.”
The Shul, which expects upwards of 400 people next week, will be offering High Holiday services, including children’s programming and food afterwards, which people can RSVP for online. Although the posted rate is $90 per adult and $36 per child – with a $50 maximum fee for multiple children – the synagogue reminds all that “no one will be turned away for lack of funds.”
“There are definitely people out there that require an extra invitation saying it’s okay, don’t worry, you’re welcome, come participate,” said Shemtov. “When they come, we really strive to create a joyous, meaningful experience for everyone.”
Chabad of North Phoenix in Arizona drives its no-ticket policy home by sending out complementary High Holiday “tickets” to advertise its ticket-free services. Best used as bookmarks and not at all necessary to attend, they have service times on the back and are accompanied by a note about how people who go to services could be anyone and everyone.
“We’re not going to ask for it by the door, but here’s a real ticket,” said Rabbi Mendy Levertov. “It really hits home for people that they can come for free.”
Levertov said he’s gearing up to help next week’s more than 200 attendees connect with G‑d, as well as drive home the idea that every small deed matters. People are coming to hear about how to make their lives more meaningful and joyous even in times when foreclosures and economic situations lend themselves to uncertainty, he pointed out. “They want to hear positive things, they want to walk away inspired.”
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are an auspicious time of year to ask G‑d for help, he reiterated. “It’s just a good time of year to pray.”
Meanwhile, Gurnee’s Feigen counts herself among the lucky, as even without a raise this year she said she was able to up her monthly contribution to the Chabad House. Still, she knows that’s not everyone’s situation, and points out that it’s all a far cry from the high-priced holiday synagogue tickets she, like so many others around the country, are unable or uninterested in paying to participate in prayer.
“I don’t think,” she said, “you should have to pay that much to spend the day with G‑d.”
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