Celebrating Beth El’s 75th

August 28, 2026 in From the Clergy, Rabbi Greg Harris, Scroll

Rabbi Greg Harris

Twenty-five years ago, I parked my car outside Beth El to start my first day as the new Assistant Rabbi. When I arrived, the congregation had just celebrated its 50th anniversary of its founding. There were many of our initial families who shared stories of Beth El’s early years. They recalled Rabbi Scolnic knocking on their door when they moved into the neighborhood to introduce himself. Or stories of the cows roaming the fields around the newly established Walter Johnson High School on Davis Farm. Today, the farm is the site of WJ, DSW, the Davis Library, and the medical complex. Over these decades, our community has grown, expanded our embrace, and become an important voice within the County.

This year, we will celebrate Beth El’s 75th anniversary across the synagogue. We will honor our past, focus on our present, and build for our future. True to our core values, we will focus inward, outward, and upward. Through learning, prayer, and spiritual awareness, we will strengthen our inner sense of faith and Jewish pride. We will turn towards each other as we enhance the interconnectedness of our community through Shabbat dinners and countless experiences designed to help each of us deepen our roots in the Beth El community.

Through robust Tikkun Olam efforts, we will carry our responsibilities outward into the MoCo community.

We will turn upwards as we utilize traditional rituals and newer experiences for our spiritual expressions. Already, meditation sessions and sound-bath experiences have become popular amongst many at Beth El alongside our daily minyanim and Shabbat services.

Over these decades, Beth El has been led by dedicated and caring clergy. This year, we will share some of the rabbinic and cantorial teachings which have inspired us from the bimah, in concerts, and various reflections.

Central to all these 75th Anniversary events is the knowledge that we are not celebrating just the longevity of a communal institution…but the vibrancy of an intertwined spiritual community where you have a home. Beth El is a place for joy, learning, prayer, and comfort. Fundamentally, these are not transactional moments but are based on nurturing relationships with each other. So, let’s grab a cup of coffee and spend time together. For Hazzan Fradkin, Rabbi Megdal, and myself, we value these conversations.

I am so excited to celebrate Beth El this year. Beth El is more than an organization. We are a holder of stories, experiences, and dreams. After all, when Jacob placed his head down in the Book of Genesis and dreamt, he woke up and said, “Surely God is present in this place, and I did not know it!” Shaken, he said, “How awesome is this place!…He named that place Beth El.” (Gen 28:16, 17, 19)

Beth El continues to be a place of dreams, possibilities, and discovery. You are part of Beth El’s story.

My maroon Mazda 626 that I parked in the lot 25 years ago is long gone. It was replaced by a minivan and then another. And now I have a small practical sedan again. I could not have imagined how I would grow, learn, be humbled, and inspired by my Beth El experiences. I have been invited into people’s lives, taught from our rich Tradition, and tried to articulate my own sense of authenticity throughout. Beth El has become my family’s home. And, I hope it is yours too.

There will be a whole array of 75th celebrations shared in the Scroll, announcements, and other ways. I look forward to the years ahead together. May Beth El move from strength to strength.