I don’t know how widespread the problem is but I know of at least one synagogue that announces at the start of the service that guests should refrain from applauding. In a recent videocast, a senior United Synagogue rabbi, Elchonon Feldman, of Bushey Synagogue, wondered whether we might be experiencing the demise of the “shul-goer”. Given the ubiquity of mobile phones, it is, however, surprisingly rare to hear a stray phone go off during the service. But let’s bring to an end the violation of synagogue decorum and put a clamp on the clapping. If you are paying a visit to a shul for a simchah, I say: “Ladies and gentleman, please don’t put your hands together.”