Summer

According to the calendar, summer does not yet arrive for another week and a half. However, for those who live and work in the Jewish community, we know that with the completion of Shavuot, summer already is here for the synagogue.

Everything changes in the summer. Whether the numbers go up or down (depending on the local demographics), the summer synagogue crowd is different from that of the rest of the year. The folks who come to services to fulfill religious school obligations or to be part of a social scene are mostly gone in the summer. The folks who just can't get enough Torah and who worship out of a sense of spiritual hunger and heartfelt commitment are now the majority. Summer changes the whole tone of the synagogue.

I am curious about how we take advantage of this turning of the seasons. What do you do in your community to keep your summer congregation in step with the tune of the time? How do you keep the synagogue a joyful place in the summer, and how do you compete with the many distractions the summer offers? What will you do to keep people interested in the life of the Jewish community between now and Rosh Hashanah?

Please share your thoughts by adding a comment below.