B'nai Israel Congregation

This interactive experience for fifth graders and their parents provides an introduction to the bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah experience at B’nai Israel.

Join representatives from the Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Washington for a discussion of how to get started in tracing your Jewish roots. The session will include practical tips, online resources, and personal research stories.

B'nai Israel will be providing lunch for the residents of the Taft Court Interfaith Works Women's Shelter. We need your help in supplying various parts of the meal. Items can be purchased or prepared in your home. The item should serve 6 to 8 people and be in disposable pans. Cosponsored by Men’s Club and Sisterhood.

What was the impact of involuntary and voluntary forced migration on Judaism, a diaspora religion? Without the historical experience of the exile and return, Judaism would not exist. In the midst of political collapse and the annexation of the Southern Kingdom of Judah during the sixth century BCE, how did a kingless and kingdom-less people maintain authority and coherence? With the return of exiled Judahites from Babylon and those who fled to Egypt, complications arose in articulating a postexilic, “normative” Judaism. Cosponsored by the Biblical Archaeology Forum, the Biblical Archaeology Society of Virginia. JOHN AHN is Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible, Howard University School of Divinity. Professor Ahn holds a PhD in Religious Studies from Yale University; Masters degrees from the Yale Divinity School and the Princeton Theological Seminary; and a BA from New York University. Dr. Ahn is a highly regarded and recognized scholar in the study of the forced and return migrations periods, more commonly known as exile and return.

This class will cover the skills that our gabbaim use every Shabbat: how they make members and guests feel welcome, facilitate the flow of a service, and the basics of correcting Torah reading. Members of our gabbai corps will join the class to share some of the expertise they have gained in their years of being gabbaim for the congregation. Please note that while graduates of this class will have acquired some new skills, they do not become gabbaim upon graduating, since gabbaim are appointed by the president of the congregation. Prerequisites for this class are ability to chant Torah, competence in Hebrew reading, and general familiarity with the flow of a Shabbat morning service. If interested, please contact Cantor Bolts to discuss eligibility.

Adloyada is a humorous procession held in Israel on the Jewish holiday of Purim. In our own version, we will learn about the simha of Purim and how it is expressed in Israel. We will also make mishloach manot to make others happy!

“Adloyada” is a humorous procession held in Israel on the Jewish holiday of Purim. In our version, we will learn about the simha of Purim and how it is expressed in Israel. We will also make Mishloach Manot to make others happy! *Please note that these activities are part of our Talmud Torah program on those days, and Talmud Torah students will participate. No registration is required.

$36 for members; $50 for nonmembers Jewish literature is not only filled with narratives and legal codes, but also includes some of the greatest teachings about wisdom. From the words of Moses through the writings of Maimonides, we will explore more than a millennium of Jewish wisdom. Learn more about the ethical and spiritual lessons of Judaism in this course. *Note that there is no class on March 7 in celebration of Purim

6:15 PM Kabbalat Shabbat 7:00 PM Shabbat Dinner 8:00 PM Learning Session: Spirituality and Activism: The Role of the Prophet Abraham Joshua Heschel was deeply concerned with the prophets, and wrote both his doctoral dissertation on that subject, as well as a comprehensive book published in 1962. But he was also deeply interested in the phenomenon of prophecy throughout the ages, even to contemporary times. That interest took two forms: the private and contemplative on the one hand, and the public and activist on the other. We will examine both of these, and attempt to understand how they may actually be related to one another. As vice chancellor for Religious Life and Engagement, Rabbi Gordon Tucker focuses on enhancing Jewish life at JTS, enriching our study of Judaism with the joy and deep understanding that only lived experience can provide. A leading scholar and interpreter of Conservative Judaism, he also articulates the enduring power of JTS’s compelling approach to Jewish law and Jewish life. He was ordained at JTS in 1975 after receiving his A.B. at Harvard College. He also earned a PhD in Philosophy from Princeton University. Rabbi Tucker served from 1994 to 2018 as senior rabbi of Temple Israel Center in White Plains, NY. Under his leadership, the synagogue flourished and was characterized by vibrant communal life and an exceptional devotion to Jewish learning.

Celebrate each month’s birthdays at the end of Youth & Family services with songs and treats!

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

9:00 AM Shabbat Morning Services with Sermon by Rabbi Tucker 12:30 PM Lunch and Learn: Heschel on Racism and Systemic Injustice Injustice can result not only from illegal acts and corruption, but from the workings of the law itself. We will examine rabbinic acknowledgments of this unfortunate phenomenon of systemic injustice, and then we will consider what Heschel discovered along these lines in the United States and how that spurred him to form alliances for action. As vice chancellor for Religious Life and Engagement, Rabbi Gordon Tucker focuses on enhancing Jewish life at JTS, enriching our study of Judaism with the joy and deep understanding that only lived experience can provide. A leading scholar and interpreter of Conservative Judaism, he also articulates the enduring power of JTS’s compelling approach to Jewish law and Jewish life. He was ordained at JTS in 1975 after receiving his A.B. at Harvard College. He also earned a PhD in Philosophy from Princeton University. Rabbi Tucker served from 1994 to 2018 as senior rabbi of Temple Israel Center in White Plains, NY. Under his leadership, the synagogue flourished and was characterized by vibrant communal life and an exceptional devotion to Jewish learning.