Roles and Responsibilities
- Welcome congregants and guests as they enter, make eye contact, and say Shabbat Shalom (or appropriate holiday greeting) to each person (not just those you know). Welcome everyone who enters and make them feel at home.
- You are the Disney magic behind our Shabbat – anticipating the needs of others and making sure they feel cared for. You are the first (and maybe only) personal contact a guest may have with the Temple. Your role in representing our warm welcome is essential. Your positive energy and attitude will set the tone and inspire others to do the same.
- As a greeter, you can help our congregants and guests by sharing knowledge of the building, upcoming events, and important initiatives.
- Welcome everyone with a smile. Greeters should find a way to exchange greetings with people they know, but be able to wrap it up quickly to get back to their greeter responsibilities. We want to make sure everyone receives similar treatment when they come through the door.
- Wear your board name tag so that you are easily identifiable.
- Greeters are not security guards. We have paid and trained professional security for that purpose. Your job is to help make sure everyone who walks through our doors feels welcome. You are not responsible for screening or gatekeeping. That said, you are responsible for helping to create a safe space, so if you see something that is concerning to you, find a security guard and alert them right away.
- Do not bring any bias to the greeter position; assume that everyone who enters the building intends to be in a Jewish space to celebrate a holiday or other occasion with our community. Don’t make assumptions based on appearance.
Greeter Expectations
While we want you to come in and participate in the service, we also want you to think of your role as a greeter starting 20 minutes before the service and ending 15 minutes after services end.
Before the Service: We hope you will be at the entrance to the building that most people will use. For most Friday nights, this is the North Lobby (where people enter from the covered walkway). If there is more than one greeter, space yourself out so that one of you is at the doors to the building and the other is at the doors to the chapel/sanctuary. Please stay at your post to greet latecomers until at least 10 minutes after the service start time.
During the Service: Please sit towards the back of the chapel/sanctuary, so that you can quietly greet latecomers and help them find seats/and the current page. We hope you can find a balance between being present to the service and being “on duty”.
After the Service: We hope you will stand at the primary exit of the space at the end of the service to send people off. Just as you greet someone entering, whenever possible, you should have a “send off,” especially for first time visitors. A couple of phrases like “I’m so glad you were here tonight”, “It was wonderful to meet you” go a long way.
Helpful Reminders
Be familiar with the physical aspects of the building, including:
- Restroom locations
- Gendered: North and South Lobby/Rotunda
- Non-Gendered: Administrative Hallway, across from Rabbi Hayon’s office (this is difficult for newcomers to find and you may want to walk them to the Rotunda and point the way).
- Extra copies of The Bulletin are available in the Rotunda for people curious about upcoming events.
- The screens in the North Lobby and Rotunda are also a great place for people to learn about the evening’s offerings and upcoming events (and it’s a good thing to check at the start of your shift so you know what programming is going on that night)
First Aid and Medical Emergencies
If you see something having a medical emergency, find a security guard immediately. Our security guards are trained in basic first aid, know where to find our first aid kits, and are trained to use the AED (automated external defibrillator). If a congregant who is a medical professional steps in during a medical emergency, they may ask for one or all of the following.
- A first aid kit is located in the kitchen on the far right of the cabinets above the Keurig coffee makers.
- A Doctor’s Kit, containing a stethoscope and a blood pressure cuff, is in the cabinet opposite the rotunda security desk.
- AED is located between the North Lobby and the Rotunda, on the wall to the left of the Kitchen.
Spaces for children and families
- Family friendly areas where kids can move around more freely
- Family Room: located immediately across from the chapel (the room formerly known as the Bride’s Room) is open during services for children that need a break or for nursing parents. On Friday nights, the audio stream of our service plays in that room.
- Outdoor Areas: Children are welcome to play in the sculpture garden under adult supervision.
- Changing Tables – both the men’s and women’s bathrooms off the Rotunda have changing tables.
- Breastfeeding – a couch in the women’s restroom off the Rotunda is available to women who are breastfeeding.
Additional Information
- Kippot are available at the entrances to the Sanctuary and Chapel. The case of tallitot is in the North Lobby to the left of the Sanctuary Doors. (If someone asks, men and women are welcome to wear a kippah or a tallit. Tallitot are more customary for Saturday mornings than Friday nights).
- Membership inquiries can be sent to Anna Shabtay at membership@emanuelhouston.org. Business cards for Anna and most of our staff are available at the security desk in the Rotunda.
- There is a water station between the North Lobby and the Chapel.
