Another Visit to Henderson

I went to services again last night at Ner Tamid, the Reform synagogue in Henderson, Nevada. You might try it sometime.

I can't believe how many people they "draw" for services on a Friday night or Saturday morning. It's really incredible. Friday night, for instance, while the place wasn't entirely packed, it was pretty much so. A lot of the people tend to sit in front of the choir, so they're always on the left side, while I sit on the right side. I had a few empty seats near me, but I suspect there were none on the other side.

My theory is that people come for the production. Last night was gospel night, and so they had a guest choir from a nearby Christian church who sang gospel songs for us. They were very good. And Ner Tamid had its own choir plus the choir comprised of fifth graders and below, just visiting. Add to that a band consisting of guitar, bass guitar, piano, and drum, and, well, it's a production.

And leading them all was Cantorial Soloist Philip Goldstein, who has a magnificent voice. He, alone, is worth the price of admission.

There were some rather odd things about the service, like an old Jewish song sung to the tune of "Onward Christian Soldiers," was, well, unusual.

But I think the music and the welcoming vibe of the rabbis make Ner Tamid the place to be on shabbat.