What do Shaul Mofaz, Dan Halutz, and Moshe Yaalon have in common? Not only have they all been chief of staff at one point in their career, but they have all been to the Hampton Synagogue on Long Island.

Polar opposites like TV and radio personality Glenn Beck and Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf - the man behind the idea of building a mosque near New York's Ground Zero - have been guests at this synagogue.

Open gallery view A Star of David engraved in stone in Jerusalem.

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During the summer months, the Hamptons turns into the leading vacation spot for the New York upper-class Jewish community. The synagogue -the only one affiliated with the Orthodox movement in the area - has a reputation for being much more than a house of worship. It is known for its varied cultural activities that you would not usually find in an Orthodox establishment.

The Hamptons Synagogue is regarded by many as a meeting place for influential American Jews as well as a regular forum for leading Israeli cabinet ministers and politicians. In fact, Israel's ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren made his first appearance in front of an American Jewish audience there.

When Israel's recently appointed ambassador to the United Nations Ron Prosor arrived in New York, he appeared before an audience of 1,000 people at a Hamptons Synagogue Shabbat service the week he presented his credentials to the Secretary General of the UN.



Ido Aharoni, Israel's Consul General in New York, appeared at last Friday night's Shabbat dinner program which was the final event for the 2011 summer season.

During the summer months, the synagogue screened a series of Israeli films to the members of the surrounding Jewish communities. Leading politicians and journalists launched their book tours at the synagogue's book nights over the past few weeks. Dennis Ross presented his book for the first time at the synagogue and Martin Fletcher, NBC News' Jerusalem Bureau Chief, spoke about his new book last week.

Every Friday night during the summer the community hosted a different ambassador to the UN for a special dinner. A few weeks ago Iraq's ambassador made his first and only appearance at a synagogue.

The Hampton Synagogue, which was founded twenty-one years ago, has a membership of 500 families with, according to Rabbi Marc Schneier, founding rabbi of the synagogue, about a third of them leading an Orthodox religious life while the rest identify more with the Conservative and Reform movements.

Al Sharpton, the famous African-American activist, canceled his planned appearance at the last minute two weeks ago. He was supposed to take part in a discussion on the 1991 Crown Heights riots.

However, Schneier pointed out, shortly after he declined his invitation, Sharpton wrote a column in the New York Daily News admitting that he had acted inappropriately and insulted the Jewish community twenty years ago during the Crown Heights riots.



The Rabbi said he is aware of the controversy that Glenn Beck's recent visit to Israel caused, but he emphasized that he had absolutely no problem inviting Beck to speak at his synagogue.

"I won't impose my views on anyone, but I definitely believe that people should be exposed to different viewpoints, Rabbi Schneier said, adding the synagogue attracts leading figures from all walks of life, and that's why it had become the address for all types of important personalities, including Israeli ministers."

Rabbi Schneier told Haaretz that "some claim that I have made Shabbat into a 'show' or a 'popularity contest, but this is exactly what I am trying to accomplish by making the ordinary extraordinary. Shabbat should be extraordinary and not bland so that it will attract all Jews, and not just Orthodox Jews, to synagogue."

"According to the latest figures," continued Rabbi Schneier, "15 percent of American Jewry is now Orthodox. I will not forfeit the other 85 percent."