Selling High Holy Day Tickets is a Dilemma for Synagogues

At The New York Times, Mark Oppenheimer reports on the difficulty many synagogues face in trying to meet their expenses at the risk of alienating newcomers and unaffiliated members. Because Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur bring in the largest congregations, charging fees to attend services during the holidays presents a source of revenue. Many Jews criticize this “pay to pray” model, but some, like Amichai Lau-Lavie, the spiritual leader at Lab/Shul say, “I was once of the opinion it should be free for everybody, before I realized that if it’s free for everybody, then some people are underwriting everyone else.”

Read at The New York Times

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