Dear Rabbi Krinsky,

As you may know, the Vilnius Choral Synagogue has been closed for repairs and we need to confirm some very basic rules we will need you to respect after the synagogue is reopened.

We would like you to know that your refusal to follow these rules will unfortunately force us to not allow you or anyone else disobeying these rules to enter the building and participate in the services.

The rules in question are as follows:

1. Vilnius Choral Synagogue is run by rabbis who have been officially appointed by the Lithuanian Jewish Community.

2. Any religious activities taking place in the synagogue must be approved by the official Community rabbis and any other activities must be approved by the chairman of the Vilnius Religious Jewish Community.

3. Anyone who wishes to organize a party, wedding ceremony, brit milah, lecture, class, meal, speech, bar/bat mitzvah or any other event has to confirm it with an official Community rabbi and receive approval ahead of time.

4. Any food or food products must be inspected and approved by an official Community rabbi before being brought into the synagogue.

5. Any prayer books or learning material/books for studying must be approved by an official Community rabbi before being brought into the synagogue.

6. Every Jew is welcome to come to the synagogue and participate in our services, but no one may conduct any services or any part of a service without the permission of the official Community rabbis. Only Community rabbis have the right to decide on the procedures of aliyos, hazakos, yorzeit and all tefillim-related issues according to established Lithuanian custom.

Any person who does not respect these basic rules cannot be a part of the synagogue (just as in all other synagogues).

We kindly ask you to acknowledge that you are ready to follow the aforementioned rules of the synagogue. Regrettably, until you do so, we have no other choice but to bar your entry to the synagogue.

Thank you for your understanding, and we await your reply.

Signed,
Rabbi Krelin
Rabbi Izakson