(PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)
The gabbai of the Shirat Naftali Shul in Elad has taken a giant step towards silencing mobile phones in shul. The gabbai spoke with mispallalim, asking how to get them to leave their phones out of shul towards preventing distractions during tefilla.
The gabbai had cubbies made, but not just cubbies. There are chargers inside so one can have one’s phone safely locked away and charging instead of being bothered during davening.
The sign outside the shul reads: No more shiurim and tefilos with cellphones. Simply select an appropriate cubby, place the phone inside, lock it and then come and daven and learn with a quiet head.
The shul is described as home to mispallalim who are “working chareidim” as they are referred to. The gabbai explained he spoke to people in advance of having the cubbies built, and the gabbai explained to the news mispallalim said they would only use the cubbies if they contained chargers, which they do. It is reported people are beginning to lock up their phones and the shul is becoming quieter.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem / Photo Credit: Courtesy of BeChadrei Chareidim)
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17 Responses
bmg had this for years
GREAT Idea!!!
We should all follow this terrific example and copy it today!!!
must be a small shul if that is all the cubbies that they have, or very few people bring cells to shul…..
“The shul is described as home to mispallalim who are “working chareidim” as they are referred to…
The article makes it sound as if the term “working chareidim” is an oxymoron. The use of cell phones has become pervasive in everyday life, whether one works or shteigs full time. This is an interesting solution to the issue but why can’t people just set the phones on mute for 30 minutes twice a day? Now if only this gabbai can figure out how to get the daveners to stop talking during davening since in my experience, the noise and interruption from the seemingly endless chatter is a much bigger problem than the occasional cell phone ringing.
Not to detract from this wonderful article. The White Shul in Far Rockaway has had that for years. The President Naftali Solomon designed this himself.
This is news?? In America it’s in many shuls already (yes, with the charging ports)
Urgently required in every Shul in the world. This must be the main Teshuva this coming Yom Kippur in 115 days time.
Or, and I’m sure many of us have felt this way;
We institute a new takana
New shul rules
1)If your cell phone goes off in shul any mispallel has the right to take it and stomp on it
2) if you answer your phone in shul (as unbelievable as that is , I’ve seen it more the once) any mispallel has a right to stomp on you
finally someones really doing something about phones in shul
it’s great but many shuls in lakewood do this what’s news about this?
we have had one of these in Machzikei Hadass shul in Manchester for nearly five years!
Kiddish Hashem!
they will go off inside the box
A. Is this news?
B. This is has been around for years already in shuls all over
Rav Eliezer Ginsburg shlita has been giving out similar units for a few years already. Ashreichem to both of them. זכותם עומדת לעד.
What is so newsworthy about this?
See
the Lakewood scoop
2013/02 photos first ever cell phone lockers come to a Lakewood shul
I’ve seen this in Lakewood also. It’s sad that people can’t turn their phones off in shul. Why are Jews so weak? Eevn during Chuppas phones go off.