To Sam , Joseph (shtei neshimos) and others
Some clarifying points to my previous post:
1. I did not find anywhere that saying barchu at the end of ma’ariv is minhag ha’Gra.If I missed something, I’ll be happy to be corrected.
2. I am well aware of Tukochinsky’s luach. Although minhag yerushalayim, and by extension in many cases, minhag eretz yisrael is minhag haGra, this is not always the case. The luach is minhag haprushim (albeit talmidei Ha’Gra), but as expected, their minhagim were influenced here and there by the minhag hamakom, which was sefaradi before the prushim showed up.
3. The sefaradim always say borchu at the end, shacharis and arvis. It seems that this was to help out the latecomers and became a lo ploog. The prushim accepted this with the logical proviso that in cases where there are no latecomers, it should not be said. As Shmoolik correctly pointed out, this would be on Monday and Thursday morning (borchu in leining for the latecomers)and Leil Shabbat (plenty of time , even for the latecomers). Following this logic, borchu is not said arvis after Ne’ilah Yom Kippur because everyone is in shul already, and Tukochinsky specifically includes this quirk in the luach.
5. Although this is controversial, there are those who say that historically, yiru eineinu was instituted to help out the latecomers come for tefillah b”tzibur. Since the Gaon eliminated this Ashkenazic practice, it is unlikely that he was concerned with latecomers, at least according to this explanation.
Finally, in defense of gabbaim. Gabbaim contend constantly with uber chachomim who walk into a shul where they are nonpaying guests, yet feel that their personal spiritual needs supersede the tzibbur and minhag hamakom. They need to be taught. It’s usually best to teach privately and b’nachat, but in terms of getting the message across, sometimes the harsh method brings results, and the private-talk method does not. Many of these fellows then go on to argue with the gabbai that the minhag hamakom is wrong and needs to be changed on the spot. These people do not get any sympathy from the gabbai, nor do they deserve any.