Conference taveng::bagels

    David, first of all, I don't know the Framingham area all that well,
    so I can't help you find a temple.  However I would like to explain
    a possible means for you to at least be able to attend services
    for the Holidays.  I would expect that if you can't afford membership
    in a synagogue, it wouldn't be a problem.  Let me tell you what
    might be a problem.  Say for example you get in touch with someone
    at a synagogue in the Framingham area, and you tell them that you
    want to attend services, but you don't believe that you should have
    to pay.  My guess is that they'll have a bit of a problem.  How do
    you expect a synagoge to pay for it's expenses without taking in dues
    money for membership.  It certainly would be nice if no one had
    to pay, but I guess life isn't that simple.  I hope you find what
    you're looking for.
    
     L'Shannah Tova,
     Alan

    If you will settle for a reform schul, Congregation B'nai Shalom,
    in Westboro right on route 30, would be happy to see you; send mail
    to HYEND::BLopatin for the schedule of services (he is the president
    of the congregation this year).  We moved into a new building just
    before the holidays last year, and it is already crowded sometimes.
    There are no reserved or paid-for seats, although for the most popular
    services non-members will be asked to wait until right before the
    service to be seated or may have to watch by closed-circuit TV in
    the religious school library (I'm part of the crew that gets to
    set up the TV stuff on Sunday afternoon...the high holidays committee
    mostly runs cables and moves chairs).  The congregation is mostly
    young families; there are more children in the religious school
    than there are families who are members.  There are also a number
    of older folks from the retirement housing across the street.
    
    If you do not like reform davening, I can't help you about conservative
    schuls in the area, but someone else in this notes file probably
    can - there are a lot of choices in Framingham.

The Conservative synagogue in Framingham is Beth Shalom. My wife and I are not
members but we go there occasionally when we need to find a minyan on a week
day. We also have friends who are members there. The synagogue is located on
one of the side streets on the south side of Water Street. We have found the
people to be friendly. But I have been to services there where they played their
organ, which I found distracting.

I would guess that any synagogue would offer you a ticket in exchange for any
size donation if you contacted the ticket chairman and explained your financial
situation. Also, many of the greater-Boston area colleges would allow
"outsiders" to attend services. These services were free when I was in your
situation tho they did ask for voluntary donations from those who could afford
it. Usually Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox services are available. Ask MIT,
Harvard, Brandeis, or BU Hillel (Tufts?) for up-to-date information. Of these,
Brandeis is most convenient to Framingham.

The issue about paying for High-Holy-Day tickets is discussed elsewhere in
this conference. At the synagogue where I am a member we have two services
(early and late) and we still have to set up extra seats in the hallway outside
the sanctuary to accomodate the entire congregation. In fairness to the
members (who pay an exorbitant membership fee), a reasonable number of seats
must be reserved for them.

By the way, although my synagogue is Reform we use a conservative siddur for
the holidays. (We probably pray too much from the English side of the page
for your taste, but you never can tell.) We are Temple Beth El in Sudbury
and we are close to Framingham.

Dave (who will chant haftorah for the Yom Kippur morning service)

    If you will settle for an Orthodox shul, Congregation Bais Habad
    in Framingham will be happy to see you at their services for the
    Holidays.  Differently from everyday services, the holiday's are
    conducted in Hemingway school on Water St. in Nobscott.  They will
    not ask you for a donation (unless you volonteer). You can call 
    Rabbi Lazaros, he is in Framingham phone book (Joseph Rd.).
       
    Rgds,
    Leo

    Thanks to you all for your comments and information. My background
    is orthodox, yet I have leaned toward conservative in recent years.
    I would honestly enjoy the the Chabad, though my wife would not
    understand much of the service.
    
    I guess it's my orthodox background that makes it difficult for
    me to understand what I call the "Pay-to-Pray" approach. In my shuls,
    people gave year-round. Yes, there was always a big push for large
    donations at Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, but it was never a
    requirement for admission.
    
    An experience I had while in college involved something like this.
    I was asked to leave since I had not purchased a seat!  I asked
    to be allowed to stand in the back and daven, but this was not an
    option.  Granted that this was a isolated instance, but it has kept
    me from going regularly to services on the high holidays.
    
    Once again, thanks for your insights.
    
    David

There is another Conservative congregation worth considering, Temple
Israel of Natick, on Hartford Street near the Framingham border.

Although Temple Israel requires that tickets for High Holiday seats
be purchased in advance, they do not turn away worshipers at the door.
If you come as a "walk-in", there are unreserved seats in the very back
of the building, and you can join in all the services.

There is an outdoor tent to accommodate extra seating, but it books up
before the main sanctuary area.  The temple's two rabbis alternate between
the main service and the tent service.  Services are complete and unabridged,
mostly in Hebrew.  Rabbi Kushner's sermons are brilliantly insightful --
he's the one who wrote the bestsellers _When Bad Things Happen to Good People_
and _When All You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough_.  Associate Rabbi Mark Cooper
is young, dynamic and personable.

Incidentally, there is also a new Orthodox congregation in Natick.  Rabbi
Fogelman is young and outgoing and has attracted an enthusiastic core of 
congregants since he came to the area last year.  He lives on Hartford Street 
and will be renting out a Natick storefront for the Holidays this year.  

Harvard University in Cambridge has Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform
services.  They require tickets (or student id's) for Yom Kippur, but
do not require them for Rosh HaShanah.  As I recall from last year,
persons without tickets were allowed in as space permitted.  (There is
overflow seating and I doubt that anyone would be turned away.)

They would appreciate a donation, suggesting $75 per person.  If you
specify on the donation that it be used for outreach programs benefitting
the entire community, I believe that it would qualify for Dec Matching
funds.

The services draw an interesting mix of people.  A few years ago, I sat
between a friend I jogged with and my physician.  Two years ago, the appeal
was given by Alan Dershowitz.  Rabbi Gold uses his sermon to welcome students
to Harvard.  During one of the daily services, he doesn't bring a prepared
text, but engages in a dialog with the audience.  He has often discussed
intermarriage.  He is not in favor of it.

Martin.

The Sephardic Congregation of Greater Boston would welcome you for 
their high holiday services.  I davined there for several years when I 
lived in Brookline.  It's a wonderful and warm congregation.  The 
Spehardic community doesn't have any of the distinctions between 
Reform, Conservative and Orthodox and the members of the congregation 
reflect this range.  People jingling the change in their pockets talk 
to people who are shomer Shabbat.  The Rabbi is Orthodox, but the 
congregation is quite tolerant of that.  They raise money with the 
high holiday auctions.  The people there are from all over the world: 
Israelis, Egyptians, Persians, a gentleman from Zimbabwee, Rhodes, as 
well as Americans.  The music is lovely, but very different from the 
tunes you probably know.  Each nationality uses different tunes, so 
sometimes several groups of people will begin singing their own tunes 
before the congregation settles on one tune!  I enjoyed davining there 
alot and will miss them this year.  

I've not heard where they have services this year.  On Shabbat they 
meet in Young Israel of Brookline (on Green Street at Coolidge 
Corner), but they look for a larger room for the High Holidays.  
Call Frank Feinberg on Jordan Avenue in Brookline (and use my name) to 
introduce yourself and find out where the services are this year.  
He's shomer Shabbat, so call Saturday evening or Sunday morning.

Yours,
Meredith Malmberg

    re .7 -- Harvard Hillel Services
    
    The conservative congregation only "requires" tickets for Kol Nidre 
    services in Memorial Hall; a second Kol Nidre service -- same building,
    different room, slightly later time -- is open to anyone on a first
    come, first serve basis.
    
    Several thousand people -- students, community members, etc -- attend
    these services, no doubt in part because of the warm, generous,
    nature of Rabbi Gold.