Soho Synagogue: Mixing Faith With Pleasure

By Author: Moshe Lax
Total Articles: 7
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There are many synagogues all over New York City, but the Soho Synagogue established in 2005 stands out. With about 1000 members, mostly young, educated and highly successful Jews, the synagogue is more than just a place of worship. It presents the right balance of prayers and social activities to those youngsters who otherwise feel alienated from the religion and the religious practices of the previous generations.

What attracts them to this synagogue and its ‘cool rabbi’ Dovi Scheiner, 34, is that no religious agenda is pushed down their throats and they can do pretty much what they like without being judged if they are Jewish enough. His genuine and honest approach helps young Jews to connect to each other and with their spiritual roots.

The biggest challenge rabbi Scheiner faced was building a congregation from the ground. He did not have friends, money or anything else and had no idea where to start. His big break came when Scott Kluge, who is a producer, met Scheiner and his wife at the popular Tribeca Film Festival. Kluge suggested that he would invite people to his own home, and Dovi and Esty would ...
... bring the food. As more and more people joined these get-togethers, the lack of a proper place became a big handicap. They had gatherings at private homes and would rent space for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur prayers.

The building where the Soho synagogue is located was renovated at the cost of $650,000. The suppliers and contractors charged lower prices otherwise the cost would have exceeded $1 million. In addition, the synagogue pays an annual rent of $250,000; the money comes from its "friends."

Moshe Lax, a businessman who deals in diamonds, is one of Soho Synagogue's major donors; other founders include billionaire investor Ira Rennert and well-known philanthropist Michael Steinhardt, who supports the Birthright project.

Young people in their 20’s and 30’s constitute most of the congregation. They are highly educated and very ambitious. They are the dreamers who work hard in order to make a lot of money. They aren't exactly religious and most of them didn't have a good experience with the Hebrew school where they studied for a few hours a week to prepare for their bar mitzvahs. As grown-ups when they try to fulfill their dreams, they feel acutely lonely and want to connect to other Jews. Their primary reason for visiting a synagogue is to meet a partner, to have a sense of community and belonging and finally, for the spirituality."

The concept of paying members doesn't exactly exist and those frequenting the place are called "friends" and their names appear on an Internet mailing list. The additional funding comes from donations from them and outside sources such as philanthropist Moshe Lax and Michael Steinhardt. Besides services, the synagogue organizes a number of events where friends meet and interact.