Sunday, January 25, 2009

Overheard in Shul

I'll say it again...Twitter has ruined my bloglife. I write on my microblog and then don't have the patience to come back here and expand on it. That added to being busy at work means my blog suffers. My poor baby.

But something happened in shul yesterday that was hysterical. My makom kavua (usual seat) in shul is a seat that is always empty when I arrive no matter how late I am. It has a lot to do with the fact that this particular row is very tight. Not a lot of space. But it also has to do with the fact that its directly in front of a group of old timers in shul who enjoy commentating during services. The exact thing I'll be doing in shul in like 50 years. The topic they are most likely to be discussing is the "young people" in shul who are rude and only there to socialize. This week I came to shul early (during the haftorah) because we were helping sponsor the kiddush after services that was commemorating the 5th yarzeit of my friend Mikey Butler (Mikey was the MAN!). Trying to alter this group of ladies' perception of the youngsters I always make sure to smile and wish them a "Good Shabbos" when I get to shul. They love me. This week I gave them my usual "Good Shabbos" and the ladies all looked at each other and smiled. Then one of them clapped me on the back and said "Now SHE always wishes us a Good Shabbos!" And another said, "She'll make a GREAT Rebbitzen!" And I laughed and laughed, all the way through Aleinu. I will make an excellent Rebbitzen.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

How can it be that I know you on Twitter, but have never seen your blog. That's so backwards :)

SusQHB said...

It could be that Twitter has kept me from blogging. Its very sad.

Anonymous said...

Why IS it that you stand out as one of the few/only "young people" who make the effort to greet the "old timers".

Seems a shame to me... seems like these old timers might even have a point.....

Chaviva Gordon-Bennett said...

It blows my mind that you can sit there every week :) It is TIGHT. But those women are hilarious, and you have them pegged. I can't wait till I'm like them someday ...

I gotta come back and go to your shul. It was a lovely place, a good service, a good time. I <3 Washington Heights!

SusQHB said...

Many of the younger members of the shul are indeed quite friendly and respectful towards these ladies. They choose to ignore this and instead focus on the things they don't like about the younger generation being in the shul, like the social scene after davening and the more crowded pews. Personally I think that they should be thankful for the younger generation from saving our shul from the fate of other's in the neighborhood that can barely make a minyan.

Anonymous said...

The only members that can "save" a shul are the DUES PAYING kind.....

Perhaps that is one of the old timer's gripes....

Anonymous said...

how is it possible that i am in my low 30's and yet i synmpathize with these old ladies about the rude young brats just there to hang out?

The Kosher Cruiser said...

Going to Shul and treating it as a social event isn't always a bad thing! I know what you are getting at but look at those people as those who have yet to figure things out.

When I first started going to Shabbat services it was because I knew a bunch of people who were going. Slowly I started feeling the spiritual connection, and now hate it when I miss Shabbat services.

Anonymous said...

Tuvia -
It's all fine and good if you originally started going to shul for "lo lishma" reasons, but I highly doubt that you considered yourself the "savior" of the community and I certainly hope that you were not rude, unfriendly and overbearing to the established members of the shul!

SusQHB said...

I might also point out, these ladies are more talkative during davening than the crowd socializing outside. I don't say anything to them out of respect for their years in the shul, but they're usually being hypocritical since they're the ones talking and distracting those davening around them. I didn't want to say that, but its true.