First and foremost, let me extend a personal welcome from Karin, Jordan, Michael, Rachel, and me to Rabbi and Riki Wiederhorn, Meital, Ayelet, and Avi. I look forward to our working together over the years ahead as we collectively bring our synagogue to new levels of success.

Summer and vacation time are beginning, and believe it or not, we are very busy at the synagogue. At this time, in addition to all of our other activities, we are starting to plan for the High Holy Days. This year, Rosh Hashanah begins the evening of Monday, September 29. In the past, I have often heard congregants ask how High Holy Day honors are distributed. So, I decided that it made sense to explain how we go about this process. If you have any unanswered questions after reading this article, please feel free to get in touch with me (226-5157 or Fraade@optonline.net).

We all have our personal mental scrapbooks about the honors process, based perhaps on what we observed long ago as children in our parents' shuls and on what we have since experienced. Having heard these stories over the years and having exchanged information with other USCJ synagogues, I have come to realize that assigning the honors is a very challenging and often misunderstood process. Some congregations (and congregants) are very satisfied with how it goes, some are very dissatisfied, and most are somewhere in the middle. Here are some typical questions (and answers) that I hope will explain the process at our shul:

How many honors are there to be distributed? There are, give or take, 200 honors available for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. These include leyning (reading from the Torah), all the aliyot, the Ark openings and closings, the English readings, holding the Torahs, and more. We have more than 415 member households, and thus we start off at a disadvantage of not being able to come even close to assuring that every adult or every household can receive an honor.

Who decides to whom the honors are offered? This has been a role of our president, with the help of our immediate past president. We do it in this manner in order to ensure a consistent approach from year to year. In addition, we solicit input from all of our committee chairs, as well as our clergy and professional staff.

What factors are considered when assigning honors? We believe that the High Holy Day honors are exactly that— an opportunity to recognize and express our gratitude to those members who have distinguished themselves in one or more of these categories: Doers, Donors, and Daveners. We do not sell or auction honors. While these practices are favored in some congregations, they are not something we want to see at our shul.

Why does it seem that many of the same people get honors year after year? Each year we ask for input and review those who have been “Doers, Donors, and Daveners.” Each year there is change, but the reality is that we are blessed with a large group of volunteers and lay leaders who remain active and involved year after year, in some cases in ways that are not visible to the congregation-at-large, and we believe that it is entirely appropriate to recognize their service in this way.

Why don't you just give out the honors on a random basis, a fully random basis has been discussed several times over the past few years, and in fact some congregations simply go through their membership lists and pick, for example, every third name and those people receive honors. That way, the entire congregation is pretty much assured of receiving an honor at least once every three years. However, because we believe so strongly in the value of granting the High Holy Day honors to visibly acknowledge the support of involved congregants, it is not likely we will ever shift to a random or every-third-year (or similar) system.

What if I'd like to receive an honor? You're welcome to let me know, and I will do my best to take your request into account for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, or Simhat Torah. Please understand that I can not promise to fulfill those requests.

What happens if I'm offered an honor that isn't what I'd prefer? There are many reasons why people say they'd rather receive a different honor from the one offered. These include a preference for an honor that comes earlier or later in the service, is on the first day of Rosh Hashanah instead of the second day, or (to be blunt) is perceived as a “better” honor. Trying to deal with these preferences and requests is very difficult and the last point especially so. Please understand that a lot of time and effort goes into trying to distribute honors that appropriately reflect the commitment of a person or family; the process is not perfect and the reality is that there are a limited number of “high” honors at “peak” times. It is our hope that no matter what honor you receive, that you recognize that your dedication to our congregation is sincerely appreciated.

Of course, if you have a medical condition that precludes you from accepting the honor given to you (such as holding a Torah) or if you will be away visiting family on the day of the honor that has been offered, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate your needs, but we must ask for your cooperation and forbearance as well. The numbers previously noted and the logistics of managing services for more than 1,200 people mean that we simply cannot make everyone happy. If you are able to accept the honor offered, that's wonderful and we look forward to your participation. If not, we will keep you in mind for next year.

What are my obligations as someone who receives an honor? We have three very simple requests. First, respond to the invitation letter by the date listed. If we don't hear from you by then, we have to assume you're not able to accept the honor, and we will go on with our planning and offer it to someone else. Second, plan to arrive at the designated service in plenty of time so there isn't any last-minute scurrying to locate you. Third, please be sure to check in with one of the ritual officers when you arrive; they are typically standing near the entrance to the sanctuary. The more we try to broaden the base of honors recipients, the more likely it is that the ritual officers will have difficulty attaching the name on their list to a face in the congregation, so we ask you to introduce yourself.

Again, please let me know if you have any questions not addressed in this article. I wish you an enjoyable summer and look forward to seeing each of you over the months ahead.

Jon