Home > Community > Israel > We Stand With Israel
Beth El unequivocally stands with Israel as it fights terrorists who have the expressed goal of destroying Israel. We pray for the dead, injured, and captive.
During this time of uncertainty, we will stand together. This page includes resources and information on opportunities to be in community with one another at Beth El and with our neighboring congregations.
Rabbi Harris – Israel at War
Rabbi Megdal
Rabbi Megdal – Jewish Loneliness and Its Antidote
Rabbi Harris – Countering the Anti-Israel Slogans
Rabbi Harris – Challenging the Slogans: Colonialism
Rabbi Megdal – Jewish Hope
Hazzan Asa Fradkin – Reflections on Four Days in Israel
Amir Tibon discusses his experience during the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel as a resident of Kibbutz Nahal Oz
Rabbi Harris – Why I Am Going to Israel
Rabbi Harris – Reflections on Solidarity Mission to Israel
Rabbi Harris – Is Indigenous Most Important?
Israel Solidarity Mission – In Their Own Words
Rabbi Harris – Purim at a Time of War
Rethinking the Seder for the Hostages
Updates appear from newest to oldest.
Join Hazzan Fradkin for Beth El’s second volunteer and solidarity mission to Israel.
Dates: Wednesday, May 1 – Wednesday, May 8
Full Itinerary: Click here
Registration: Click here
Flights: Book on your own. We suggest leaving on April 30 early in the day to arrive by May 1.
Book Now! Flights are going quickly. You may need to travel through Europe if you can’t get a flight from EWR or JFK direct.
Recruit Friends! As you can see the more participants that register, the more we save but more than that, we just want to have a good representation from our community.
Join us for a conversation with Jody Rabhan, Chief Policy Officer for National Council of Jewish Women, in the next of our series of Shabbat discussions. As head of NCJW’s government relations and advocacy work, Jody helps lead the organization’s advocacy efforts in Washington and plays a key role in mobilizing effective grassroots work on the organization’s issues and campaigns around the country. In her role as Chief Policy Officer, Jody works with the CEO and the board of directors to create policy and advocacy strategy for the organization. Click here to register.
Please join us as we commemorate Yom HaShoah, mourning and remembering the approximately six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. In this special commemoration, we will remember the lives lost through shared stories, music, and prayer.
Click here to register.
Please join us on Saturday, May 18 when we are joined by three representatives from Hand in Hand: Centers for Jewish-Arab Education In Israel. They will share an inside look at how they are building inclusion, equality, and shared society between Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel through a growing network of integrated, bilingual schools and communities. Sally Karaja, Bar Itamari, and Nour Younis will give a short talk during services and then, at 12:30 pm, we will gather in the Swoff Chapel for a more in-depth look at the work they are doing. Click here to register.
This year in collaboration with the Edlavitch DCJCC’s JxJ: DC Jewish Film and Music Festival, Beth El has an opportunity to create Beth El Night at the movies. Now through Thursday, April 18, all tickets for the Thursday, May 9, Opening Night presentation of Seven Blessings at Landmark Bethesda Row will be exclusively reserved for Beth El members. Join your community and see Seven Blessings, recipient of 10 Israeli Academy Awards (Ophirs), including Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Script and Best Director. Find out more and buy your tickets here today!
April 30, 2024 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum (575 3rd Street Northwest, Washington, D.C.)
Join us for a dynamic panel discussion examining the current state of antisemitism in the United States. Expert panelists will discuss the debate over antisemitism within Jewish communities, the implications of these divisions, and where we go from here.
Panelists include Matthew E. Berger, President and CEO of Mashber Strategies. Arie Dubnov, Chair of Israel Studies at George Washington University, and Emily Tamkin, journalist and author of Bad Jews. Moderated by Arno Rosenfeld, reporter for The Forward.
Click Here to Register
Please join in helping purchase hand bikes for Yitzhak and Elisha, two Israeli reservists injured during the war in Gaza, who Beth El’s February solidarity mission met at Sheba Hospital. Yitzhak lost use of his legs after being shot by a sniper; Elisha lost both legs above the knee due to a booby trap explosion. As part of their rehab, they are learning to use bikes propelled by hand in order to join other paraplegic veterans who maintain their physical and mental health through hand-bike rides and competitions. It will take $30,000 to buy specialized bikes for Yitzhak and Elisha, and Beth El has agreed to receive the funds that will be used to purchase the bikes and have them shipped directly to these men.
Click Here to Donate
Building on the productivity of Beth El’s Covid Task Force, clergy and leaders of key groups at Beth El are meeting weekly to discuss programs, education, support, security, and communications related to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. This group is working to support the myriad needs of our community – in the Beth El building, throughout our community, on college campuses, and in Israel. If you have any ideas for upcoming programming or resources you’ve found particularly relevant and useful to share, please contact the Beth El office at info@bethelmc.org.
The horrendous October 7 attack on Israel and the ongoing war are painful and sometimes difficult topics to navigate at any time, let alone during a Passover Seder. Rabbi Harris has gathered together the following resources to help with your Seder this year.
