Downstairs Women’s Seating Area – Latest News
Dear Member,
The exciting saga of the downstairs seating area for women continues…
Following the AGM last year and further discussions at the Board, we have now commissioned some new and attractive portable screens which can be used as a mechitzah (partition) to create a downstairs seating area for women whenever we want to (these have been paid for through donations – so many thanks to all concerned with the design and funding). The plan we have agreed on is as follows:
• Slight expansion of the existing small area for women to create a better space with wheelchair access on a permanent basis.
• Flexible use of the new screens to create an occasional area for women downstairs. What we are proposing is that on an approximately monthly to six-weekly basis, the entire first left hand block of seating (looking from the back of the shul) from the entrance to the gangway will be made available to women, and this will have the new user-friendly screens attached to it. Entrance for women will be through the current main door, with men coming in through the hall as with the trial last year.
• This will mean that once every month or so the men in that block will be asked to sit elsewhere. If you are affected, can you let me know if you would like (a) an alternative permanent seat; or (b) an alternative space for storing the belongings that you have in your seat (we are exploring lockers for anyone that would like to be allocated one). Please note however that it should be ok just to find another seat on the occasions when the mechitzah is used.
We are expecting to launch this scheme properly on 6th December, giving plenty of warnings and reminders and also making an event of it with a guest speaker. Subsequently, we will give clear notice of the dates on which the mechitzah will be in operation, and we will continue to review the scheme and seek feedback.
We are also hoping to do a one-off ‘dry run’ on shabbat September 20th, when Karen Ackerman’s daughter is having her bat mitzvah. This is in order to help us work out if there are any problems in trying to do this when the shul is quite full and to iron out any issues before the main launch. There isn’t much time to prepare properly for this, so for that shabbat we will set up a system whereby men whose belongings are in affected seats will be able to ask for them and a steward will retrieve them.
I am very grateful for everyone’s patience with this development and for the work that has gone into it. I think we have a good scheme here that creates a workable and flexible compromise between those who are keen on a downstairs area and those who are more dubious about it. As noted above, we will continue to evaluate its effects.
Regards,
Stephen Frosh