[Avodah] Stained Glass Windows

[Joseph C. Kaplan]

Prof. Levine asks:
> This morning someone told me that he had heard  that RYBS once spoke 
> against installing stained glass windows in a synagogue, saying it 
> was Chukas Ha Goyim. He said he had heard that RYBS went so far as to 
> say that one should not go to a synagogue with stained glass windows 
> to hear shofar.

I can verify that it's not true.

In an essay on prayer entitled Tefillatam shel Yehudim, RYBS writes of
his opposition to synagogues with stained glass windows and "platforms
decorated with rugs, flowers and rabbis trained in linguistic expression
and pleasant manners." He says nothing about shofar; your informant
was probably confusing this with RYBS's position about shuls with mixed
seating. And anyone who has davened in Orthodox shuls whose rabbis, lay
leaders and members are students of RYBS (or students of students) knows
that this position -- opposition to, in shuls, stained glass windows,
rugs, flowers, and linguistically trained and pleasant rabbis -- is one
that was not followed by his students.

Joseph Kaplan