B'nai Israel Congregation

8:45 AM–12:30 PM Traditional Service Click here to access the livestream link on the day of the service. 9:30–10:45 AM Virtual Youth Services (grades K–6) Click here to register. 10:00–11:15 AM Virtual Teen Service (grades 7–12) Click here to register. 2:00 –3:30 PM Renew: A Contemplative & Holistic Service with Rabbi Aderet Drucker Click here to access the livestream link on the day of the service. 4:30–5:15 PM Virtual Tots Service Click here to register. 7:00 –7:45 PM Evening service Click here to access the livestream link on the day of the service.

Please bring non-persishable food items to support our High Holiday Food Drive. This project, run by the B'nai Israel Youth Department, collects several thousand pounds of canned food items every year, which are then donated to the Manna Food Center to sustain needy people in Montgomery County. Collections will take place in the B'nai Israel parking lot on: Tuesday, September 22, 3:00–5:00 PM Wednesday, September 23, 3:00–5:00 PM Thursday, September 24, 4:00–6:00 PM

THIS EVENT IS NOW SCHEDULED FOR TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20. Recent events have us all thinking and talking about the challenges of systemic racism. What does racial equity mean? How does one begin to grapple with a system we may not see and did not cause, and yet may be responsible for perpetuating? Is it possible for a big-tent community to talk openly and frankly about values without becoming mired in the politics of division that polarize seemingly all aspects of society? Jay Gruber is Chief of Police and Vice-President for Public Safety at Georgetown University, where he is working with officers to better understand race issues, dialogue, and retool community policing principles to ensure safety, security, and comfort for all students. Marla Schulman is Immediate Past President of B’nai Israel and chair of the Faith Community Outreach Committee. She is leading our congregation’s effort to learn more about racial equity and find ways to partner with other faith communities and communities of color in our area. Hal Ossman is Executive Director of B’nai Israel.

In 1970, three-day-old Marra B. Gad was adopted by a white Jewish family in Chicago. For her parents, it was love at first sight—but they quickly realized the world wasn’t ready for a family like theirs. Marra’s biological mother was unwed, white, and Jewish; and her biological father was black. While still a child, Marra came to realize that she was “a mixed-race, Jewish unicorn.” In black spaces, she was not “black enough.” In Jewish spaces, she was mistaken for the help, asked to leave, or worse. Even in her own extended family, racism bubbled to the surface. Ms. Gad shares her story and responds to questions. Her memoir, The Color of Love: A Story of a Mixed-Race Jewish Girl, is winner of the 2020 Midwest Book Award in Autobiography/Memoir. This program is presented in partnership with the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School and B'nai Israel. Click here to register. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSda74BCwfiE9yw9uiqY8F4GP4zNtn5fZ_1IRd1_LsPVjf4ECQ/viewform

Please bring non-persishable food items to support our High Holiday Food Drive. This project, run by the B'nai Israel Youth Department, collects several thousand pounds of canned food items every year, which are then donated to the Manna Food Center to sustain needy people in Montgomery County. Collections will take place in the B'nai Israel parking lot on: Tuesday, September 22, 3:00–5:00 PM Wednesday, September 23, 3:00–5:00 PM Thursday, September 24, 4:00–6:00 PM

We don’t need the statistics to know we are living in a time of crisis. In Israel, the divide between secular and religious leaves a majority questioning their connection to the Jewish religion. In America, political polarization prompts many to question the “other’s” loyalty to Israel. All the while, connections between the American and Israeli communities seem to be weakening, particularly among our youth. How do we respond? It begins with relationships…followed by creativity and vision. Rabbi Yerachmiel Meiersdorf is rabbi of Noam, the Masorti youth movement in Israel. Nava Meiersdorf is studying to become a rabbi at Schechter Rabbinical Seminary in Israel. The Meiersdorfs were raised in Israel’s Orthodox world and grew to appreciate the pluralistic aspects of other movements. Together, they led the first Kabbalat Shabbat service at the special section at the Kotel reserved for egalitarian worship. They bring their unique perspectives and appreciation for the totality of the Jewish religious spectrum to their work. Together, they will lead us in an exploration of the future of Jewish, American, and Israeli partnership.

Please bring non-persishable food items to support our High Holiday Food Drive. This project, run by the B'nai Israel Youth Department, collects several thousand pounds of canned food items every year, which are then donated to the Manna Food Center to sustain needy people in Montgomery County. Collections will take place in the B'nai Israel parking lot on: Tuesday, September 22, 3:00–5:00 PM Wednesday, September 23, 3:00–5:00 PM Thursday, September 24, 4:00–6:00 PM

Please submit your question to Susan (susang@bnaiisraelcong.org) by Thursday, September 10.