We finally did it. After procrastinating for a year, we have joined a synagogue. Who knew that there are so little Jews in Chester County...and yet, there were several Conservative synagogues to choose from???
Side note. I had wanted to establish a little ground rules about this here blog. Firstly - writing on this blog is something that I do about as frequently as I do laundry. Which is to say, every few months or so. Which brings me to secondly - I don't do laundry because my husband does it for me, late night when the rest of the house is sleeping. But he-who-is-the-launderer should have a name here - I'm going with Batman. And the kid we've got...he'll be known henceforth as The Tiny Titan. Trust me - it works.
So - side note over - Batman and I had belonged to a synagogue in Florida that was very similar in size, ambiance and feel to the synagogue that I grew up in, was bat-mitzvah'ed in and we were married in. We joined when I was pregnant with The Tiny Titan - funds were limited and we could either join the JCC or join a synagogue. Knowing my previous track records with gyms, I figured I'd get more of a (cerebral) workout at High Holidays than I'd ever get at the JCC. Thus began the Great Payments Towards Spiritual Enlightenment...also known as the Building Fund.
I have a personal distaste for the fact that synagogues charge money for membership AND the building fund. The BF is a lovely euphemism for YOUR SHARE OF OUR OVERPRICED MORTGAGE. But - it's part and parcel with all synagogues, and we dutifully paid in our FIVE YEARS WORTH. And then....WE DECIDED TO MOVE TO PHILLY.
And our BF money? Well - that stayed in Florida....kind of poetic, since actually all our money stayed in Florida. But that's another story for another day.
Now we find ourselves in the position of paying into, yet another, BF. Batman made an excellent point last week. Once you, as a Jew in Good Standing With the World, fully pay into a BF, you should be exempt from any new BFs no matter where you affiliate. Oy vey. We should be so lucky.
Now we get to get The Tiny Titan ready for Hebrew School. And not just on Sundays, where kids play and color and eat challah and drink grape juice. We're heading for the big leagues now, kiddo. Twice-a-week, speaking-and-reading-Hebrew, prayer-learning and tuchas-squirming HEBREW SCHOOL. Ahhh....let the games begin!
