B'nai Israel Congregation

Parents and youth alike, are all invited to a festive morning of celebrating nature and the Jewish New Year of the Trees. Israeli Tu BiShvat seder, arts and crafts, and a lot of fun is promised!

If you will be in Florida (or want to go to Florida or have family or friends with a connection to B'nai Israel who will be in Florida!), we hope you will join B'nai Israel for our upcoming Florida reunion at the beautiful Ballen Isles in Palm Beach!

Let's go skating! RSVP at bnai.me/skating

Each year, our Lunch and Learn group explores a compelling Biblical text—not only unpacking the more obvious meaning of the words and ideas but also how they interface with our own personal concerns and challenges. During 2022–2023, we will study excerpts from the Book of Samuel. How did our ancestors move from being a loose federation of tribes—the hallmark of the period of Joshua and the Judges—to a monarchy? What was the role of Samuel, the first prophet after Moses, in that process? How did Saul emerge as the first king of Israel? What caused the line of the monarchy to shift from Saul to David? The Book of Samuel is a treasure-trove of family intrigue, politics, religion and national hopes and tensions. It is a significant backdrop to the development of a people in its land—an ever-timeless text that speaks to our own era and reflects a gamut of human emotions and experiences. As our Lunch and Learn regulars will attest, our class is participatory and our conversations are lively. Newcomers are always welcome, as together we discover once again the power of the Bible.

This program is both a culinary history of the Jewish delicatessen as well as a cultural history of four generations of Jews in America (1880–the present). This humorous and educational multimedia history is based on comedian Seth Front’s Jewish Zodiac, a deli food parody of the Chinese zodiac. Using the 12 most iconic deli foods which comprise his Jewish Zodiac (Year of the Bagel, Year of the Pastrami, etc.), Seth explains how deli food and Jews arrived, adapted, assimilated, and returned to authenticity over four generations in America. Seth Front is a comedian and rabbi’s son who uses humor to emotionally connect Jews to their heritage and faith. Please register at no cost below. The Zoom link will be included in the confirmation email.

The Hebrew Bible is not rated G. In this course, you will examine some lesser-known narratives from the Tanakh. Because these texts seem unsuitable for certain audiences, they are often skipped in school curricula and sermons from the pulpit. At the same time, these sometimes troubling narratives offer a fantastic opportunity to explore the complexities of the biblical characters, engage in meaningful ways with our ancient texts, and wrestle in a way that clarifies understandings of ourselves and our approaches to our received tradition. $36 for members; $50 for nonmembers

Children in Israel’s four separate education subsystems (Arab, secular Jewish, orthodox, and ultra-orthodox) not only do not meet each other but they are educated towards different values, ranging from Israel as a liberal and multinational democracy to Israel as a Jewish state based on Jewish religious law. Israel’s political situation both reflects and reinforces these divisions. Laurence Wolff and his wife visited Israel during the period November 7–25, during which time he attended meetings with leading Israeli political and religious leaders as well as academics studying Israeli society. During his talk, he will discuss the challenges facing Israel as well as the implications of the recent elections.

This week we will meet at Hunter's Bar and Grill in Potomac Village, 10123 River Road in the small shopping center between the Potomac Public Library and River Road. Please RSVP to Marc Berlin (berlin.potomac@gmail.com) no later than Monday, February 6.

Join us as we honor our teens and celebrate the ways in which they contribute to the vitality of our congregation.

Morning Torah Study returns to its original time on Saturday mornings at 9:00 AM! Join us on selected Saturday mornings for discussions about the weekly Torah parsha. Interested in leading a session? Contact Wendy Fanaroff. September 10 – Ki Teitzei September 17 – Ki Tavo October 1 – Vayeilech October 22 – Breshit November 12 – Vayarah November 19 – Chaya Sarah