I immigrated to Israel in August 2004 to assume a full-time position at one Israeli university, which I eventually left about two years ago without waiting for the official retirement. In my first year I didn't go to any shul (= synagogue). I spent my next year here at a neo-Hasidic shul here in Jerusalem. I also spent the last few months of my second year looking for an alternative, visiting abour 20 shuls in my neighborhood. I didn't check one shul on purpose until after checking all the other alternatives as I felt I would fall in love with it. And this is what happened. Since then I davened there for 16 years.
This second one is a "national-religious" (= modern Orthodox) shul. Since I was exposed to Chabad Chassidus about five years ago and started learning its teachings at a formal setting for three and a half years, I came to feel more and more connection, both intellectual and emotional, with Chabad and started davening in parallel at a nearby Chabad house, though only in Friday mornings.
About three weeks ago I participated for the first time in the Sabbath morning prayer at this Chabad house and was so fascinated. Everything was much better for me there than in the old shul. I tried again last Sabbath, and this feeling only intensified. I also realized that I lose a lot by not attending this Chabad minyan.
This week I made a very difficult decision to leave the shul where I davened for 16 years and switch completely to this Chabad minyan not only in Friday mornings [this is not a typo - yes, Friday mornings!] but also on Sabbaths and holidays. What made my decision so difficult is that by leaving this old shul I'll also lose opportunities to shmooze before and after davening with those I made friends with there in these 10 years.
Except for this loss I have nothing to lose, especially when it comes to davening per se. I've simply outgrown this previous style of davening, or to use a more neutral term, I've fundamentally changed through formal, then private study of Chabad Chassidus. I feel far more at home at my new, Chabad, minyan.
I've also realized the importance of having a community rabbi. In this Chabad house we even have two, whom I knw even before I started learning Chabad Chassidus, while in the shul where I davened for 16 years there is no community rabbi. Community rabbis add a lot to the community not only intellectually and emotionally but also spiritually by their mere presence.