Our primary focus in ushering outside the sanctuary is safety and managing expectations.

Any suspicious packages must be reported to a uniformed police officer.

Service times for Junior Congregation and Babysitting will be posted at the Front Desk.
Please familiarize yourself with these when you arrive for your shift.

Alternative Sanctuary is in the Beit Midrash.
Junior Congregation is in the Gym.
Please direct people accordingly.

Ushers should pay attention to the noise level in
the lobby and politely help with volume control.

     Front Door Ushers
  1. Should greet everyone entering (with a smile).
  2. Remind everyone to take his or her tickets out.
  3. Provide some idea of when the sanctuary doors will open, if they are closed.
  4. Direct them to stop at one of the ticket desks to pick up an envelope and show their tickets to the Usher. The tables will be segregated by alphabet.
  5. Direct parents, who seek babysitting, to stop at the desk through the blue doors in the Nursery School wing.
  6. Direct people who are not Congregants or their guests to the alternate sanctuary (Beit Midrash / former library).
  7. Only Congregants and their guests with tickets will be allowed into the main sanctuary (even for Yizkor). However, Congregants who have forgotten their tickets can still be admitted; they need to speak to a Front Desk Usher who can verify them by checking the Membership list.

     Front Desk Ushers

  1. Should greet everyone (with a smile).
  2. Ask to see tickets.
  3. For those Congregants who don't have tickets, you will have a list of Congregants; guests must have tickets. (Note that if there is an envelope with their name, in all likelihood, they are members)
  4. If the person is not on the list, please ask them to use the alternate sanctuary.
  5. If the person insists they are entitled to enter the main sanctuary and they are not on the list, seek the help of the Head Usher (Linda Fellen), or another board member. However, do not allow the situation to escalate into a confrontation. If the situation becomes difficult, allow them to enter but ask them to kindly contact the synagogue after Yom Tov to clear up any discrepancies or errors in the records. If the person does not look like he/she belongs in the shul, ask the uniformed police officer to assist you.

     Sanctuary Door Ushers

  1. Should greet everyone (with a smile).
  2. Pay close attention to the Usher's Copy of our prayer book regarding when the doors should be opened and when they should be kept closed.
  3. Make periodic announcements regarding what page the Congregation is on while people are waiting for the doors to open and when Congregants enter the main sanctuary.
  4. Make periodic announcements regarding when the Sanctuary Doors will open or when you are getting ready to close the door.

     Inside: Floor Ushers

  1. Receive cards from honorees. Have them hold their card until they go on to the bima. (It's really easy to forget who they are and why they're here without the cue card.)
  2. Determine what their honor is and when they need to ascend to the bima.
  3. Guide them to the bima usher when it is a minute or two prior to time for their honor.
  4. Let the Bima Usher know who they are and what their honor is.
  5. If an honoree has not presented themself by the bottom of the page indicated on the list as "at bima by", immediately look for a substitute unless you personally know the honoree and where that person is sitting. There is no time for searching.
  6. If anyone comes up complaining that they missed their honor, have them wait or check the list and place them in the next open Honor. Make sure you inform Marci Oslick and/or Phil Welsher to avoid double booking as they will be trying to fill them also.

     Inside: Bima Ushers

  1. When honorees ascend to the bima, be sure you are clear on what they are there for. Check with the floor ushers.
  2. Escort ark openers to the ark, instruct them on when to open and when to close the doors. Even after being told most people need to be cued "now" for both opening and closing.
  3. For standing torah holders, lift the torah up to their shoulder level, make sure they put their hands under it, not around it and ask "Do you have it?" Before letting go.
  4. For sitting torah holders, have the person sit first and then hand them the Torah.
  5. For hagbah, stand directly behind the person. If they seem to be having trouble place you hands on the round wooden disks to steady the Torah and have them bring the Torah to their shoulder.
  6. If someone does it right and brings it to the seat still open, immediately grab the Atz Chayim on your left to steady it and roll the right side in until the scrolls are tight.
  7. If no honoree is on the bima for an honor, check quickly with the floor usher. If they have no one immediately ready, take the honor yourself.

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