The members of the congregation I attended for the last several years must think I am a traitor, a בוגד .
I "abandoned" the congregation several weeks ago for a number of reasons.
One simply was because the congregation was so large - despite shrinking membership - that it was six months between my last aliyah until I insisted on an aliyah.
Mind, I was there for all Shabat services (10 aliyot possibilities) and every Monday and Thursday (six opportunities) and roshi hodeshim as well. To be fair, the congregation is blessed to have two "always in the minyan" cohenim and several more who show up "frequently." Still, on more than one occasion the cohenim were asked to step out so Israelis could have all three aliyot on a weekday.
So I found a congregation where, because it is far smaller in membership, the only person who lacks a frequent (as in "at least once in 40 days") aliyah is the resident levi; the problem is that we lack a "permanent" cohen. Maybe we should advertise.
Cohen Wanted
Guaranteed aliyot
Experienced levi to assist
Given that the congregation I just abandoned is losing members faster than it is gaining, and especially in light of the fact that it is the "mother congregation" for at least three other Sefardi/Mizrahi minyans - including one at the main Ashkenazi shule in the area - it seems strange that no one bothered to call and ask "Why aren't you making minyan with us? Are you sick?" Even the fellow I used to give a ride home on motze Shabat ignores my absence.
In truth, I really did not expect anyone to care or call.
Early on in my time with this congregation I attended a board meeting. Someone brought up the point (even then) of dwindling membership and asked if anyone on the board had queried the deserters why they abandoned this congregation for another - another, incidentally, that charges twice the membership fee !
The board's opinion, loudly expressed by a couple of the "senior" members was "We don't care why they left; they left; we don't want them back."
Sad.
The people who the board was too haughty to ask their opinion have young children and are Jewish "yuppies" - that is, they are acquiring wealth that the congregation sorely needs, especially in these economic times.
There is another difference between the congregation I left and a couple of the off-shoot congregations, including the one where I now "slap leather."
In the Big Congregation, the board controls everything, including the rabbi and hazan.
In the two smaller, but growing, congregations the rabbi rules. Neither of the smaller congregations has a hazan, although one has an Ashkenazi rabbi who reads Torah. Lack of a hazan encourages member participation, and I favor that. It also means that services are for prayer, not show.
For me, the "semi" sad thing is that we relocated to the neighborhood specifically for the rabbi and the Big Congregation. I write "semi" since I am a little closer (roughly 2/10ths of a mile) to my "new" congregation so the Shabat walk is shorter and faster.
While there are Sefardi and Mizrahi congregations scattered all around the area, the two new small ones came into existence after we settled in. There also are neighborhood Shabat minyans. Fortunately for me, the house is between the "old" and the "new" congregations.
The bottom line: with a number of synagogue options within walking distance - OK, a couple are too far for a comfortable walk - it's almost like being back in Bet Shean; while there is not a synagogue on every corner, it sometimes seems like there is.
