Jews who have not stepped into a synagogue since last year scramble to find a welcoming community that feels like home. The High Holy Days create new challenges for us all. Regular shul-goers must accept a synagogue atmosphere that barely resembles their weekly Shabbat services. Normal seating arrangements are disrupted, and entire communities are sometimes shifted to other places, simply to accommodate seldom-seen strangers. Observant Jews, dedicated to ongoing practice, are confronted with secular Jews seeking their annual dose of renewal.
Services can feel more like performances than times of focused reflection.
Unaffiliated Jews, searching for an agreeable synagogue to join, face particularly daunting difficulties. It's like going on a blind date when one person is on their best behavior, and the other is on their worst, except you don't know who's who. It's hard to connect with communities that are under siege by the very seekers trying to find their place. An awkward dance ensues, with regulars eyeing newcomers and wondering where they were the rest of the year, and seekers checking out the hassled regulars and vowing to never return. One way secular Jews deal with the discomfort of entering a new synagogue is by bonding together in groups.