Minyan Guidelines

The Irving Place Minyan meets in the Auditorium of The Morgenstern School building Adjacent to Sons of Israel’s main building at 111 Irving Place in Woodmere. As we are tenants in the Sons of Israel building, it is essential that we all work together to overcome each of the challenges presented by our arrangement.  To that end, below are certain important rules/guidelines that we all, by becoming members of the Irving Place Minyan, have committed to follow and, if necessary, enforce in order to ensure a healthy working relationship with Sons of Israel and the continued growth and success of the Minyan.

Use of the Building:

The Irving Place Minyan meets in the Auditorium of The Morgenstern School building Adjacent to Sons of Israel’s main building at 111 Irving Place.

Pursuant to the terms of a License Agreement with our Landlord, Sons of Israel, the IPM’s rights to use the building are limited to the Auditorium and certain other specifically identified areas. The space in the building that has not been licensed to the Minyan for its use will continue to be used by Sons of Israel for its services and other programs.  Failure to follow these Membership Guidelines could be a breach of the Irving Place Minyan’s obligations under its License Agreement and, in certain circumstances, could lead to a termination of the License by Sons of Israel.

The Minyan is prohibited from using any space other than the Auditorium and the other specifically designated areas, and it is critical that we make every possible effort to ensure that none of the Minyan participants or their children wander around the building or in any way disrupt Sons of Israel’s services or programming.  Accordingly:

*        Entrances/Exits: The Minyan’s access to the Auditorium will be through the entrance to the Hebrew School Building located on Irving Place adjacent to the Main entrance to the Sons of Israel’s main building.

*        Strollers/Carriages. Strollers and carriages must be parked behind the building. Strollers and carriages may not block any entrances, may not be parked in front of the building, and may never be brought inside the building.

*        Children.  For their own safety and to preserve decorum, children may not roam around the building or run around in front of the building.  Children must either sit with one of their parents in the Auditorium or must be under the supervision of one of the Minyan’s Youth Leaders.  Access to the Playground is also only permitted under the supervision of a parent or one of the Minyan’s Youth Leaders at all times.

Shabbat Morning Youth Program:

The Youth Program will run during Shabbat morning services, and will be available for all children between the ages of Three-Year-Nursery and 6th grade.  

Teen Minyan:

Teen Minyan begins at 9:30 AM. Those attending Teen Minyan are expected to behave with respect and decorum.

Kiddush:

Prestige Caterers is the exclusive caterer at Sons of Israel. If you would like to sponsor Kiddush or Shalosh Seudot, please send an email identifying the date of the Shabbos you would like to sponsor to admin@irvingplaceminyan.com, and a member of the Minyan’s Kiddush Committee will direct  you as to how to proceed.  Kiddush sponsorships must be paid in advance directly to Prestige.

Kiddush will take place only after the conclusion of Davening, following Adon Olam and the Rabbi’s Kiddush. Any informal alcohol consumption or “Kiddush Clubs” prior to the conclusion of Davening will not be permitted under any circumstances. Failure to abide by this rule may result in the revocation of membership at the Irving Place Minyan.

To be certain we are able to preserve the ability to have a regular Kiddush, it is critical that we maintain high standards of cleanliness. All food may only be eaten in the Kiddush room, and every Kiddush must be fully cleaned up at its conclusion.

Decorum:

It is the responsibility of each and every Minyan participant to ensure that proper decorum and respect for the Davening is maintained at all times. This means that one is prohibited from talking throughout Davening.  Accordingly, Davening will not continue so long as there is any talking, and Davening will be stopped as often as necessary to maintain the proper decorum.

Closely related to proper decorum is appropriate dress for shul. All Minyan participants are expected to conform to standards of modesty and respect, and aliyot and other kibbudim will only be given to those whose dress adheres to such standards. Any questions in this regard should be directed to the Rabbi or the gabbaim.

Bnei Mitzvah and Smachot:

We are delighted that the IPM is a venue for many smachot such as bnei mitzvah, britot and aufrufs. Separate guidelines have been created dealing specifically with these events and are posted on the IPM website.