Are cell phones cool in shul?

ANNABELLE STEVENS

I was at a funeral when, at one of the most emotional moments, a cell phone rang loudly, humming a Broadway tune. The cell phone offender was one of the children of the deceased, who was receiving a long-distance call from his family. The rabbi paused, looking irritated, and then continued his sermon. The call had interfered with a solemn moment during which silence is essential.

I started to wonder if cell phones had become as common during Jewish rituals as they are at movies and at manicurists.

Cell phone etiquette is a task that has been undertaken by the very companies that produce cell phones. Sprint and Verizon have hallmarked "cell phone education months" and partnered with movie chains to remind people to be cell-polite. What ever happened to common sense?

What can rabbis do during Shabbat and holiday services to ensure that people can pray in silence and reach non-buzzed introspection? All the rabbis I spoke to believe it is essential to post signs on cell phone use and to remind people from the pulpit to turn off their cells.

An Orthodox friend tells me that in his shul, cell phone interruption is a problem during daily minyans but not during Shabbat and holidays. "People won't even call from the bathroom?" I ask.

My Conservative and Reform friends agree that at no time should a cell phone be answered or used in services. But they all admit that "it happens." And my Reform friends are much more comfortable about calling from the bathroom than my Conservative friends.

"The bathroom? We're not disturbing anyone who is praying. We phone on Shabbat, so why shouldn't we call on the holidays? We need to check on the kids and tell Rosa that we're on our way home."

Some agree that vibrate mode is OK and that cell phones should not be confiscated during a security check. What if there is an emergency? But could there be an emergency when so many Jewish doctors are in the sanctuary at once?

Beyond doctors, everyone else should turn off their cell phones before entering the sanctuary. A Conservative usher believes that even vibrate can be disturbing, as some vibes are louder than others.

Rabbis agree that the biggest synagogue cell phone culprits are teens and children who are bored or unaware of customs. It is important for parents to discuss with their children the decorum of the synagogue and being in any public place with a cell phone.

So I keep my fingers crossed that as I attempt to go into deep prayer, there will not be a Broadway tune or "Hava Nagila" chanting in the background. The High Holidays are a time of reflection.

Unless we are waiting for a direct call from God, there should be no phones in the synagogue.

Annabelle Stevens is a free-lance writer and director of public relations at Passion Marketing for Issues and Causes in Los Angeles. Contact her at PRannabelle@aol.com. This article first appeared in the Los Angeles Jewish Journal.

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