PM Minyan

Our shul has been the full service congregation for most of its existence.  Two minyanim daily except Sunday night, control of the Vaad HaKashrut for the state, full kryat HaTorah at each scheduled time.  We need people to do these things.  For the Vaad the Conservative congregation now has some representation but Chabad does not.  Our minyanim, though have become insecure.  On Wednesday and Friday shacharit we have a combined service with the USCJ affiliate with a hybrid liturgy that is mostly from the Conservative siddur.  As people retire, the 7AM starting time gets less realistic but I am told the quorum usually materializes. 

PM has been more problematic.  I went yesterday, just the Rabbi and me and two men observing shiva.  Attending three a month had been one of the twelve initiatives for this half year.  Since I do not want to go to the Rabbi's classes that follow on Wednesday and Thursday, I selected Monday and Tuesday.  Rabbi has Monday off so for all practical purposes there is no service.  Tuesday never gets more than half a minyan when I am there.  I asked the Rabbi if there is ever a PM minyan.  Sometimes if enough men attend the evening classes and sometimes for Shabbos afternoon.  That would mean kabbalat Shabbat is no more, which is why I observe Kaddish at the Reform congregation that starts later of Friday nights and secures ten Jewish men, or at least within my system of counting ten men wearing kippot in a sanctuary where they are optional.  And I get some wonderful music and a thoughtful sermon thrown in.

We are running out of people.