Grapevine: Synagogue scene

MANY SYNAGOGUES had a diminished attendance over Rosh Hashanah; many airline carriers have suspended flights to and from Israel, and the outrageous fees charged by airlines still flying don’t help.

Yet, some Jerusalem synagogues were almost as well attended as they are during peacetime when thousands of tourists converge on Israel for the High Holy Days. Such was the case at the Great Synagogue, which was around 80% full and had more children than in previous years –  who were surprisingly better behaved. This junior influx augurs well for the future of the congregation.

The Great Synagogue has always had great cantors, and current incumbent Tzvi Weiss is no exception. Accompanied by the Great Synagogue choir conducted by Elli Jaffe, Weiss was brilliant on the first day and truly outdid himself on the second.

While the Great Synagogue is not exactly an intimate house of worship, Rebbetzin Devora Korff is trying to instill a greater sense of community. Even though she was raised in Mea She’arim, she takes exception to being addressed as “rabbanit.”

Rebbetzin Korff has spent most of her adult life in Boston, where she is married to the Grand Rabbi of Zvhil Mezhbizh, Rabbi Yitzhak Aaron Korff, who is chaplain of the City of Boston, a lawyer, businessman, newspaper publisher, and entrepreneur consultant to diplomats and governments. Rabbi Korff also has a string of academic degrees from Harvard, Columbia, and Boston universities, as well as other academic institutions.

When her son was serving as a lone soldier, Rebbetzin Korff visited Israel often and transferred some of her Boston activities to the Great Synagogue, where her husband serves as a spiritual leader. The couple has been on exchange commutes for several years. He comes to Jerusalem approximately every two weeks, but when he is too busy, she joins him in Boston.

During Rosh Hashanah, the rebbetzin sat at the top of a central staircase to meet and greet congregants, also walking around the vast women’s gallery to greet more congregants. She also heads the congregation’s activities for lone soldiers and attends the lecture series.

It’s not an easy task, given that the Great Synagogue is arguably the third-largest synagogue following the Ger Hassidim on the seam of Geula and Romema, which has a seating capacity of 20,000; and the Belz Great Synagogue in Kiryat Belz, which seats 6,000.

Down the road from the Great Synagogue, the Yeshurun synagogue was packed, and already several weeks ahead of Rosh Hashanah it was impossible to purchase a ticket for services.

An always-full English-speaking synagogue

■ ON THE seam of Rehavia-Talbiyeh, the exquisite Migdal Hashoshanim synagogue located on the ground floor of the Pinsker residential complex is always full. Most of the congregants live in the building, but some come from other neighborhoods. They like the friendly environment where everyone knows everyone and speaks English.

English is also mainly spoken at the nearby Hazvi Yisrael Congregation, where the synagogue was only half full, although the service was of a high standard. This may be because congregants have children and grandchildren living outside Jerusalem, and they wanted to be with them during the festival.

Temporary Chabad synagogue in the former President Hotel

■ AT THE former President Hotel on Ahad Ha’am Street, now used as a social space, Rabbi Eli Canterman and his wife, Chanie, set up a temporary synagogue that attracted a substantial overflow of congregants. The draw? To hear cantor Yisrael Hershtik and his sons, but mainly because the Cantermans, who are the Chabad co-directors of Talbiyeh and Mamilla, have attracted a following of more than 150 families.

It seems one of the requisites of female Chabad co-directors is to be a good cook, given that there are so many places where Chabad is the only supplier of kosher food. Having eaten at Chabad private homes, Chabad centers, and from Chabad delivery services including Australia, Thailand, Taiwan, Holland, Lithuania, and the US, this columnist – the daughter of a professional caterer – can testify that Chabad food is always very good and plentiful. But it would take a lot to surpass the culinary skills of Chanie Canterman!

In addition to regularly hosting upwards of 20 people for festive meals at her home, she also prepares a sumptuous kiddush for the congregation. At her home, the table is always beautifully set with artistic touches, and Rosh Hashanah was a masterpiece.

Since she was having guests for dinner on Friday night, Canterman, with the help of her family and some regular congregants, quickly transformed the ad-hoc synagogue into an attractive dining room. On the sidewalk outside, she served a kiddush, then went inside to prepare salads to go with the fish and the meat.

Singer, writer, painter, rabbanit

■ OF COURSE, a rabbi’s wife does not have to be a Chabadnik to be an impressive multi-tasker. Rabbanit Atira Ote, who, in addition to being the wife of Rabbi Yosef Ote, the spiritual leader of the Ohel Nechama congregation on Chopin Street on the border of Talbiyeh and Katamon, and mother of five, is also a singer, writer, painter, translator, and matchmaker.

She is engaged in the synagogue’s activities and, among other things, runs a weekly children’s Shabbat service. In addition, she has her finger firmly on the pulse of community welfare endeavors and manages dozens of WhatsApp groups in which she notifies members who want to volunteer.

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