Home > Celebrating 75 Years at Beth El
In 1951, 17 families gathered in living rooms and borrowed spaces to found Congregation Beth El. They were driven by a shared dream: a Conservative synagogue rooted in learning, praying and connecting. From services held in churches to children learning in makeshift classrooms, Beth El was built by people who believed. Today, that founding vision has grown into a vibrant home for over 1,000 households.
Beth El today is a community that shows up: for learning, praying and connecting. We embrace egalitarian practice, lifelong Jewish education from early childhood through adulthood, and a deep commitment to Tikkun Olam. There are many ways to experience this community, whether through Shabbat, a class, a volunteer project, or a simple hello in the hallway, and we are proud of every one of them.
As we look ahead, we know that the next 75 years will be shaped by people we haven’t met yet, asking questions we haven’t yet imagined. Today we are building a foundation worthy of our future.
Throughout the year the congregation will host special events and experiences, as well as integrate anniversary activities into annual programming, to mark this milestone moment in our community. As we add more exciting experiences to this year’s celebration, we will add them to this page and the congregation’s public calendar. You won’t want to miss the energy and enthusiasm of our 75th year!
We have a goal of hosting 75 Shabbat Dinners across our community and within the synagogue walls throughout the year!
Our flagship community service event will bridge Beth El members of all ages with opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others across Montgomery County and the broader Washington DC Metro area.
A living art installation in our lobby that grows as congregants perform acts of lovingkindness throughout the anniversary year. Each mitzvah our members add to the tree creates a growing visual testament to our community’s collective goodness.
Chutzpod! is a renowned frank and wide-ranging conversation on how to build a good life, using real-life quandaries and millennia-old Jewish wisdom. Each week, Rabbi Shira Stutman and journalist Hanna Rosin bring a Jewish lens to life’s toughest questions, asked by listeners and audience members.
We will benefit from the wisdom, expertise, and experience of a renowned contemporary Jewish thinker by welcoming Yehuda Kurtzer, a Scholar in Residence who will expand our understanding of the world around us through a Jewish lens.
Dr. Yehuda Kurtzer is the President of the Shalom Hartman Institute and a leading thinker and author on the major challenges facing the Jewish people. He is the author of Shuva: The Future of the Jewish Past, the co-editor of The New Jewish Canon, and the host of the Identity/Crisis podcast.
We are bringing an inspiring voice in Jewish music to Beth El with internationally acclaimed composer, performer and teacher Danny Maseng. Maseng, who was born in Israel, will share his astounding and moving music with us along with many of our Beth El choirs. It will be a musical weekend we won’t soon forget.
Maseng is also one of the most popular and respected composers of contemporary Liturgical and Synagogue music. He has been the invited guest of the American Conference of Cantors, the Cantor’s Assembly, as well as the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. His compositions are sung worldwide, with a recent Disney Hall appearance by the renowned Pink Martini, who performed Danny’s Elohai N’tzor, and a Carnegie Hall premiere of his “Bring on the Light” by the New York City Youth Chorus.
Masenghas been the Patron Artist of the Avraham Geiger School for Cantorial Arts in Berlin, Germany. His essays, writings, and poems, have been included in recent books by leading Jewish rabbis and scholars, including Naming God by Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman, Jewish Men Pray by Rabbi Kerry Olitzky, and A Dream of Zion by Rabbi Jeff Salkin.
An evening of food, festivities, and featured entertainers as a grand celebration our 75th anniversary with fellow Beth El members of all life stages and generations.
In honor of the 75th anniversary, Rabbi Greg Harris will lead an extraordinary Israel experience for adults seeking to return to Israel on a trip integrating culture, peoplehood, history, memory, community, and service. Details forthcoming.
A professionally produced documentary-style video capturing Beth El’s 75-year journey. Includes interviews with founding families, current members, and clergy. The video will premiere at the Spring 2027 Gala and be featured on our website.
We are bringing our 75-year history to life through curated exhibits displayed in our building throughout the anniversary year.
Through learning and a three-day travel experience, we will offer an opportunity to explore the fight for civil rights for African Americans in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as discover how Jews were involved in the struggle for civil rights. We will visit Atlanta, Montgomery, Selma, and Birmingham. Details forthcoming.
We will offer a family trip to Israel this year in honor of our 75th Anniversary led by Hazzan Asa Fradkin. Details forthcoming.
