facilities & rental
We are very proud of our sanctuary, chapels, social halls, and garden areas, perfect for your next meeting or celebration. The Gerald S. Snyder Building and the Thelma and Melvin Lenkin Education and Activities Center contain a variety of rooms that can accommodate almost any size group. With two complete kosher kitchens, we can facilitate weddings, bat and bar mitzvah celebrations, brit milah and baby namings, or Jewish community non-profit group programs and meetings. Learn more about facility use and rental information.
Margolius Atrium
The Lilyan and Bernard Margolius Atrium, situated adjacent to the Dweck Sanctuary, is the welcome area for those who enter the main doors of the Gerald S. Snyder Building. With a floor-to-ceiling glass wall reflecting the landscape and glass-domed ceiling, the Margolius Atrium is a light-filled, attractive area for hosting a function during the day, and a strikingly beautiful reception area in the evening.
Uberman Garden
The Uberman Garden is dedicated to Chaim Uberman and to those individuals whose support was so important in the earlier years of B'nai Israel. In this garden are the plaques which were removed from B'nai Israel Congregation's earlier location at 16th and Crittenden Streets, N.W., Washington, DC. These plaques, honoring the effort and devotion of these individuals, were rededicated in this garden in 1978. This garden is for contemplation and is not available for functions.
Holocaust Memorial Garden
The Holocaust Memorial Garden, a beautifully landscaped area located next to the Hayman Chapel, is a quiet, contemplative setting with benches and fine sculptures. This garden is dedicated to the memory of Bertha and Edith David who died in Auschwitz in 1944, mother and sister of the late Selma Abensohn. This garden is for contemplation and is not available for functions.
Sanctuary Garden
The award-winning Sanctuary Garden is dedicated in cherished memory of Ethan Ross Alperstein (December, 1991-October, 2002). The path, embedded with seashells from Ethan's collection, leads to a secluded area surrounded by pines. This garden is for contemplation and is not available for functions.
Gan Hayim Shalom Pond
Gan Hayim Shalom, the B'nai Israel pond, was dedicated by the Congregation in loving memory of Homer S. Gudelsky on the fourth day of Hanukkah, December, 1993. Our venue for tashlich on Rosh Hashanah, the pond is also a perfect setting for special occasion photography.
Hurwitz-Guritzky Meditation Garden
The Hurwitz-Guritzky Meditation Garden, located in the center of the Lenkin Education and Activities Center, is a beautifully landscaped patio area, perfect for havdallah, receptions, intimate parties or small weddings.
Abrutyn Garden Atrium
The grand staircase of the Abrutyn Garden Atrium is the dramatic entrance to the classrooms area of the Lenkin Education and Activities Center. With glass walls reflecting the flowering plants and trees of the Meditation Garden, the Abrutyn Atrium is a favorite gathering spot for adults and kids alike. For those with strollers, wheelchairs or who are otherwise unable to use stairs, an elevator is located adjacent to the atrium for access to the second floor of the Lenkin Center.
Glazer-Wachtel Youth Lounge
A place for kids to be themselves (under supervision, of course), the Glazer-Wachtel Youth Lounge is equipped with comfortable furnishings, large-screen television, DVD player, air hockey, and more. USY, Kadima, Machar and Bonim kids use the youth lounge for many of their programs and activities. The Glazer-Wachtel Youth Lounge is not generally available for rental.
Fanaroff Family Clubhouse
The Louis and Helyn Fanaroff Family Clubhouse is a relaxing lounge area for parents and a play area for their small children. Located in the Schilit Nursery School, the Clubhouse has its own kitchenette and bathroom facilities. It's a sunlit room, comfortably furnished for moms, dads and kids. This area is generally not available for rental.
Fanaroff Pavilion
The Louis and Helyn Fanaroff Pavilion opens to a landscaped courtyard with sliding glass doors. The light-filled, carpeted room can accommodate up to fifty people seated at round tables, ideal for a Shabbat dinner or small meeting. The expansive courtyard area, situated between the Fanaroff Pavilion and the Fanaroff Family Clubhouse, is the site of the large congregational Fanaroff Sukkah which is constructed each year and decorated by our Talmud Torah and Day School children. The Fanaroff Pavilion and Sukkah are wheelchair accessible.
Sat, December 21 2024
20 Kislev 5785
We are accessible
B’nai Israel is proud to be accessible to all.
Large print siddurim, assistive listening devices and page magnifiers are readily available. Our entire building and grounds are wheelchair accessible. We can provide sign language interpreters upon request and subject to availability.
