Society Hill Synagogue

I went to a Friday night service at the beginning of May and we barely reached a minyan. According to a few of the members I spoke with before the service, this place is in the process of overhauling its identity. They are officially affiliated with the USCJ and use the Conservative prayer book, but the rabbi and cantor are Reconstructionist and they have photocopies of prayers from the Reconstructionist prayer book as alternate readings, and a lot of the tunes they used were Reform. It felt a little bit hippy-​ish to me.

Three stars, not because it’s bad, but because Unilocal defines four stars as «Yay! I’m a fan» and it’s not quite there. I didn’t actually go myself, but sent my dad as he was looking for a synagogue for the Saturday we were visiting Philadelphia, and this one seemed like it would do the trick.
He said the service was fine, but was mostly women. Being conservative in the more literal sense (that is, stuck in his ways), he was amused that the service was led by a female rabbi, and that they wouldn’t have been able to make a minyan without the women present. I suppose he was a little rattled by the break in tradition, but when pressed, he said that the rabbi was passionate and professional and took her duties very seriously.
So, in all, I’d say it was a positive experience for the old man, who had never seen a female rabbi in action before. I guess I am a fan after all.

we’ve been members of shs for 7 years. the rabbi is smart, compassionate, and available to members for support and guidance. i have found the playschool and religious school communities to be very active and full of interesting families. i recommend you check it out!

OK, 4-​stars because (and only because) the rabbi is one of the most intelligent rabbis I’ve ever heard speak. Rare is it that you find a religious leader of any faith who can deliver smart and unbiased speaches/​sermons that even academics can find truth in. Seriously, he’s good. I think he went to Georgetown Law before becoming a rabbi, so he knows how to present an argument. I remember listening to one of HIS sermons in the midst of an Israel/​Arab conflict (intelligent, balanced, realistic) versus listening to other rabbis who give you nothing but pro-​Israel propaghanda.
The down side about SHS is the community. Nobody goes on Friday nights, at all. Literally, half the time it seems like they barely get a minyan. It’s a shame. And, frankly, the only reason I go to synagogue is to socialize w/​the tribe.
Of course, like all synagogues, the place fills up on the High Holy Days, when you’ll get banished to the upper balcony with the bums if you don’t have tickets.