History
Congregation Beth El started in 1951 as a synagogue of 16 families and has grown to where we now have almost 1100 households. We have been blessed with a number of very gifted clergy over the years, and today have two tremendously talented rabbis and a remarkable hazzan to lead us.
Over the years, our religious school has grown to almost 500 students ranging from Kindergarten through Upper School. We also have a renowned cooperative preschool (the only Jewish Co-op in the Washington, DC area) with over 135 children 2 - 4 years of age.
Beth El abounds with exciting activities that meet the interests and needs of our membership, from the very youngest children to our most senior seniors. From Shabbat Kiddushim and Shiva platters to Yiddish film festivals and tallit workshops, Sisterhood's and Zhava's activities have educated and enriched generations of Beth El women. The World Wide Wrap (teaching anyone interested how to put on Teffilin), Purim Carnival, and Sunday morning speaker series are only a few of the activities the Men’s Club has sponsored over the years. Our Saul Bendit Adult Institute has received the prestigious Solomon Schechter Award for outstanding adult education.
Indeed, the increased size of our congregation and the amazing wealth of activities offered by our different auxilliaries, committees, and interest groups resulted in the need to enlarge our facility. In 2006, we completed a major addition to our building that provides us with new and additional worship, learning, and meeting spaces.
There is a consistent thread that runs throughout our history that helps position this congregation for success in the next decades and beyond. The strands of the thread are the way we do things here at Beth El. We are an innovative, egalitarian, very participatory synagogue that approaches all of Jewish life with amazing creativity. Long ago we established a tradition of egalitarianism, in advance of much of the Conservative movement. Long ago we saw the value of maximum participation in all aspects of our worship and governance.
Since 2002, Beth El has had two extremely successful campaigns in support of Israel in times of crisis, raising over $1 million both times. And,on a less serious level, our annual Purim Megillah Madness is one of the most engaging and fun events that any synagogue ever experienced. These and many other Beth El activities bring together, in their planning and implementation, the talents, creativity, and commitment of a myriad of members from across the age spectrum. Each captures the thread of what we are, and we continue to build on that as we move forward.
The 21st century is an era of rapid change. Our movement has always been based on melding tradition with creativity. What is most important is that we continue to approach the future in a mindful way, and that we never lose track of what brought us this far.
The "Rotunda" entrance of the old building
The bimah in the 1980's
The building in 1959