B'nai Israel Congregation

The music may be old, but the artists are new! Come here these new renditions of classic Jewish music, collected by the Milken Archive and presented by Cantor Josh. A musical adventure of historic scope and proportion, the Milken Archive was founded in 1990 to document, preserve, and disseminate the vast body of music that pertains to the American Jewish experience. In the time since, the Milken Archive has become the largest collection of American Jewish music ever assembled—roughly 600 recorded works, more than 500 of them world premieres.

Visit Fort Ritchie in Cascade, Maryland, including the Fort Ritchie Museum and to learn about the Ritchie Boys (featured recently on CBS’s 60 minutes). The Ritchie Boys were the US special German-Austrian unit of Military intelligence officers and enlisted men of WWII who were trained at Fort Ritchie. Many of them were German-speaking immigrants to the United States, often Jews who fled Nazi persecution. Advance registration will be required.

Help us provide lunch for the residents of the Interfaith Works Women’s Shelter in Rockville. Items can be purchased or prepared in your home. Cosponsored by Men’s Club and Sisterhood.

See if you have what it takes to make a delicious dessert during this program.

Show off your creative cooking skills in this friendly competition.

The history of Black-Jewish cultural interaction primarily focuses on how Jews adopted and adapted Black vernacular music. However, what has never before been explored were the African-Americans who performed Yiddish and cantorial music in and for the Jewish community, in theaters on record, radio and in concert between the World Wars. The talk will honor the memory of now forgotten Black cantors: Mendele der Shvartzer Khazn, Reb Dovid Kalistrita, Abraham Ben Benjamin Franklin, Thomas LaRue Jones and Goldye di Shvartze Khaznte the first and only Black woman cantor. The talk will feature dozens of graphics and translations of Yiddish newspaper previews, reviews, and the playing of the one known 1923 Yiddish and Hebrew recording of Thomas Jones LaRue. Henry Sapoznik is an award-winning producer, musicologist and performer, and writer in the fields of traditional and popular Yiddish and American music and culture. He is a native Yiddish speaker and child of Holocaust survivors. Sapoznik founded and directed the internationally acclaimed KlezKamp: The Yiddish Folk Arts Program beginning in 1985. He is a five-time Grammy-nominated producer/performer. In 2002 Henry Sapoznik received the Peabody award for co-producing the NPR series “The Yiddish Radio Project.” Presently he is co-producing for Smithsonian-Folkways records an anthology of American folk music from California recorded in the 1960s and a blog series on African-American cantors of the 1920s and 1930s.

Being the parent of an adult child is no easy task! What is worth holding on to, and to what do we let go? How do we have these difficult conversations with our adult children in a way that is productive and meaningful for all? And when our children bring a new partner into our family, how do we welcome them and bring our families together? Join Roberta for a two-part conversation addressing these questions and more. Part of the Jewish Learning and Living Series, presented by the Workshops Task Force of the Adult Education Committee.

For an ancient text intended to set boundaries and impart values, the Torah contains many narratives which include episodes of, let us say, less than exemplary behaviors. During this class we will explore family narratives and relationships in the Book of Bereshit. We’re pretty sure your religious school didn’t focus your attention on these stories. Please bring a copy of the Torah with an English translation.

To attend this service, please contact Allison to reserve your space.

Mahjong: A Chinese Game and the Making of Modern American Culture by Annelise Heinz Heinz's rich and colorful account offers the first history of the wildly popular game of mahjong. As it traveled from China to the United States and caught on with Hollywood starlets, high society, middle-class housewives, and immigrants alike, mahjong became a quintessentially American game.

Annelise Heinz presents her book Mahjong: A Chinese Game and the Making of Modern American Culture, recently published by Oxford University Press. A historian at the University of Oregon, her work has been featured by National Public Radio, The Wall Street Journal, and international Chinese television. She has lived and played mahjong in the United States and Southwestern China.

Have you ever wondered how a theater selects the plays they produce? How an artistic director chooses directors to direct those plays? And, how an entire season of plays is chosen? Join Theater J’s Artistic Director Adam Immerwahr for an inside look into the art of theater making. Get a behind-the-scenes look at play selection, casting, set and costume design, and more! In addition, hear a preview of the heartwarming play Tuesdays with Morrie, based on the beloved book, to be produced by Theater J in November and December. Join us for this intimate and fascinating talk with Theater J’s dynamic leader. Theater J is a nationally-renowned, professional theater that celebrates, explores, and struggles with the complexities and nuances of both the Jewish experience and the universal human condition. Their work illuminates and examines: ethical questions of our time, inter-cultural experiences that parallel our own, and the changing landscape of Jewish identities. As the nation’s largest and most prominent Jewish theater, they aim to preserve and expand a rich Jewish theatrical tradition and to create community and commonality through theater-going experiences. Adam Immerwahr is the fourth Artistic Director in Theater J’s history. He was most recently the Associate Artistic Director at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ. NYC directing credits include productions at The Public, Theater Row (both for Summer Play Festival), Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Wild Project, and NYU’s Studio Tisch. Adam is the recipient of a 2008 Drama League Directing Fellowship and the 2010 NJ Theatre Alliance “Applause Award.” Adam was the winner of the 2014 Emerging Nonprofit Leader Award presented by Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Center for Excellence and the Center for Non-Profits.

Hang out. Do homework. Catch up with friends. And enjoy some snacks and drinks, of course. Open to all teens in Grades 9-12, regardless of where you go to school.

The Answers to Your Questions and Then a Whole New Set of Questions A multi-denominational journey into the heart of Judaism taught by seven Metro DC-area rabbis representing the Reform, Conservative and Orthodox movements. No matter your background, the Miller Intro to Judaism Program, developed by American Jewish University, is here to guide you on your Jewish journey. Whether you’re soul-searching or seeking your community, the Intro Program will walk you through Judaism’s big ideas and the nuts and bolts of daily Jewish living. We know you have questions—so do we—and we can’t wait to discuss them all with you. Join us in person or participate online!

Benson Goldstein will discuss that despite many outward pressures, Maimonides as a young man remained a committed Jew, a leading physician, and renowned intellectual. Rabbi Berkowitz will lead a stimulating discussion following Mr. Goldstein’s talk. This year marks the conclusion of the 40th study cycle of Maimonides's Mishneh Torah. Co-sponsored by Sisterhood. Benson Goldstein is a retired tax attorney with a special passion for history and political topics. In his career, Benson has worked in private practice and held tax, legislative, and government relations positions with the American Institute of CPAs, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the U.S. House Small Business Committee.

The Jewish people are no strangers to exile. This course will explore key moments in the history of the Jewish diaspora, beginning with the Jews of Sepharad in 1492. This class will take you on a journey into the lives of Jewish communities and families in the various cosmopolitan societies of the diaspora. What brought the Jews to situate themselves in these particular regions? What were the circumstances that led to our storied past as a people who flourished and struggled in the diaspora? Participants will receive a copy of Allen Levine’s Scattered Among the Peoples, which will be the “textbook” for the course. To enrich each class and ensure a lively discussion, participants are asked to read one chapter each week. Questions for discussion and reflection will be sent in advance of each class. Fred Jacobs is Professor Emeritus of Education at American University where he was a faculty member and administrator for over thirty years, serving as University Dean of Faculties, Dean of the School of Education, and Director of the Doctoral Program.in Education. Previously, he taught at Denison University, the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and the City University of New York. He has a B.A. from Dickinson College, and M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University. In 2007, he was a Fulbright Scholar in Romania where he had an opportunity to explore his maternal ancestry in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania. He and his family are long-time members of Congregation Bnai Tzedek. Ira Lieberman Ph.D., who has been President and Chief Executive Officer of LIPAM International, Inc., since October 2004. In this capacity he has advised governments, not-for-profit institutions, and private companies. Much of his advisory work has been focused on the microfinance sector. Ira worked for the World Bank in Washington DC from 1993-2004 and from 1985–1987 in several positions. Ira has a BA from Lehigh University an MBA from Columbia University and a Ph.D. (D.Phil.) from Oxford University.

Each grade leads significant components of our Shabbat Morning Youth & Family Services, demonstrating their mastery of the prayers and offering insights on the weekly Torah portion.