Shul Do's and Don'ts

We strive to maintain  meaningful services full of prayer and contemplation which calls on all of us to refrain from unrelated discussions during services.  The back of the shul is to be used only to enter and exit, not for davening or schmoozing. Please respect the sanctity of our synagogue, and limit talking and take a seat, or stand at the appropriate side of the shul, within either the men’s section or the women’s section.

All men, boys and married women are kindly asked to cover their heads, in some way, during services. This is a traditional sign of humility and respect.

Anshe Sholom has adopted the custom of many Orthodox synagogues to have women carry the Torah through the women’s section. A Torah is so holy that any man or woman can hold it without fear of affecting the holiness of the Torah. Rather the Torah will imbue the man or woman holding it with a sense of holiness, awe and wonder. We usually have one woman carry the Torah and another woman walk behind her as the Shomeret.

In order to keep the lobby and library of our shul clear from clutter, both mornings and afternoons, we ask that you please place all outerwear on the coat racks provided downstairs. We ask that the limited space available on the lobby coat rack be reserved for those for whom the stairs pose a physical problem. Kindly do not leave coats on tables, chairs or railings.

Because Halacha prohibits driving and riding on Shabbat and Yamim Tovim (holidays), the synagogue’s parking lot is closed at those times, from eighteen minutes after candle lighting until Havdala, and is available in and out at those times only to non-Jewish staff such as our custodian and security guard.