Congregation Beth El of Montgomery County

Kesher Nashim: Women's Cancer Connection
2025-09-18 19:30 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | MD
Kesher Nashim supports female cancer survivors and those with a new cancer diagnosis. Join Beth El women for confidential, lively discussions, friendship and support at our monthly Zoom meetings. Discussion/Support group for women newly diagnosed or survivors of cancer. One or two women from the group will be “On Call” monthly to talk to any woman interested in more information about the group.
For more information and to receive the Zoom link, please contact Judy Spector.

Shabbat Together: A Family Shabbat Service
2025-09-19 18:00 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
Join us for a joyful and engaging Shabbat experience designed especially for children in grades K–5 and the adults who love them. Through music, stories, and age-appropriate prayer, we welcome Shabbat together, followed by a warm, kid-friendly dinner and community gathering.
Cost: $15 per member, $18 non-member, $12 for children ages 6-12, and $8 for children ages 2-5. No charge for children under 2.
Please register using the form below by noon on Wednesday, September 17. Questions? Contact Education Director Elisha Frumkin at efrumkin@bethelmc.org.
Registration is now closed.

Kol Haneshama Friday Night Musical Service
2025-09-19 18:00 - 21:00 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
Join us on Friday, September 19 for prayer, reflection, and song! Welcome Shabbat in a joyful, participatory, and engaging service, with melodies that calm, songs that enliven, and prayers that elevate. This lay-led service blends tradition and creativity, drawing on contemporary and innovative Jewish music from around the world.

6:00 pm – Light Dinner
7:00 pm – Kol Haneshama Musical Service

After the service, stay for an oneg featuring a discussion with a special guest speaker. On September 19, veteran Washington Post correspondent and editor Robert McCartney will discuss “The Washington Post – Then and Now.” Robert worked at WaPo for 39 years, holding a variety of positions including as Metro columnist and editor, foreign editor, national security editor, and foreign correspondent, and even as managing editor of the International Herald Tribune in Paris. He was the supervising editor of the Post’s coverage of the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings, for which the staff received the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting. He retired in 2021 and has appeared as a guest commentator on MSNBC and Fox News, as well as on local outlets Fox 5 TV, WRC TV, and WTOP and WMAL radio. Robert grew up in Bethesda and had a Friday morning news commentary show on WAMU radio for nine years.
Dinner registration is now closed, but all are invited to join us for the service and oneg.

Volunteering at Manna Food Center
2025-09-25 19:00 - 21:00 | Manna Food Center, 9311 Gaither Rd, Gaithersburg, MD, 20877, United States
Beth El volunteers will pack boxes of non-perishable food at the Manna warehouse in Gaithersburg for distribution to the needy in Montgomery County. We are limited to 12 volunteers age 11+.In addition to serving the greater community, one of the goals is to give all Beth El parents a way to participate with their children (age 11 and older) in community service. SSL hours are available. Please contact Jonathan Epstein at jonathan.epstein@hklaw.com to register or for more information.

Shabbat Mahj
2025-09-27 12:30 - 14:30 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
Calling all Mahj Players…Get Your Mahj Fix on Shabbat! Please join us for once a month Shabbat Mahj at Beth El from 12:30 to 2:30 pm. Email Jennifer Powers at wbe@bethelmc.org with any questions. Hope to see you there!
Click here to sign up

Conversation and Coffee on the Capital Crescent Trail
2025-09-28 10:00 - 11:30 | MD
Join the Women of Beth El for a walk down the Capital Crescent Trail and then for coffee at Starbucks afterwards (ladies only please). We will have three pace groups (brisk, medium, and leisurely walkers). Meet at the base of the trail in downtown Bethesda near Ourisman Honda. Registration is appreciated so that we can contact you with any updates. Please use the form below to register.

Forgiveness, Reflection, and Songs with Shaliach Yoel Gleizer
2025-09-28 10:00 - 12:00 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
Join us for a meaningful gathering that bridges spirituality, Israeli culture, and personal reflection led by shaliach Yoel Gleizer as we prepare for the High Holidays.
Our program will include:

Experiencing Yom Kippur in Israel: an introduction to the unique atmosphere of the day, quiet streets, children riding bicycles, and a powerful sense of national unity.
Music and Reflection: softly singing piyutim and Israeli songs connected to forgiveness and introspection, such as Adon Haselichot.
Personal Reflection: a short activity inviting each participant to write or share: “What do I want to forgive this year, and what do I wish to be forgiven for?”

This special morning of learning, song, and reflection will prepare our hearts and spirits for the Days of Awe. Come for the Men’s Club breakfast at 9:30 am after morning minyan and stay for the program, which begins at 10:00 am.
Please use the form below to RSVP.

Shevet
2025-09-28 12:00 - 13:00 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
Shevet is a monthly program designed for seventh grade boys and youth who identify with boyhood or outside the gender binary. In this supportive group, participants build friendships and explore what it means to grow into their own identity—talking about real-life topics like masculinity, friendships, emotions, and Jewish values. Guided by a trained adult mentor, the group connects through conversation, games, and hands-on activities. For more information, email Allison Brown at abrown@bethelmc.org.
Please use the form below to sign up.

Support After Loss
2025-10-02 15:30 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
With a special invitation to those who have had a recent loss, we will gather for a brief teaching and discussion led by a member of the Beth El Clergy. All are welcome to join this six-session series as often as they wish. Registration for each individual session is recommended in case there are updates. Sponsored by the Clergy and the Nichum Aveilim (Comforting mourners) Committee.
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High Holiday Seminar: Overcoming Hatred in Scripture: Teshuvah in Action
2025-10-02 15:30 - 16:25 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
How can sacred texts that once fueled division become sources of healing and respect? Join Rabbi Megdal and Dr. Heather Miller Rubens for a powerful conversation on the Jewish value of teshuvah—repentance, repair, and return—as a lens for reinterpreting difficult biblical passages. Together, they’ll explore how religious communities have begun the work of rereading scripture with a commitment to interfaith understanding, respect, and healing.
Dr. Rubens is the Executive Director and Roman Catholic Scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies (ICJS) in Baltimore. She is responsible for advancing the organization’s vision to build an interreligious society in which dialogue replaces division, friendship overcomes fear, and education eradicates ignorance. Heather is a member of the Committee on Ethics, Religion and the Holocaust at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. She is currently working on a book entitled In Good Faith: An Argument for the Interreligious Society.
Learn more about Dr. Rubens: https://icjs.org/people/heather-miller-rubens/
Learn more about ICJS: https://icjs.org/about-us/

Click here to download a handout that will be utilized during the seminar

Scolnic Kick-Off Lecture: Crisis in the Middle East with Thomas S. Warrick
2025-10-05 13:00 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
Join Congregation Beth El and the Rabbi Samuel Scolnic Adult Institute as we kick off the Fall semester with special guest lecturer, congregant Thomas S. Warrick.
Thomas S. Warrick is a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Programs and Director of the Council’s Future of the Department of Homeland Security Project. He has written and published widely on national and international security affairs including Plan for Postwar Gaza. Prior to joining the Atlantic Council, he was an international lawyer in private practice for 17 years, representing companies with investments in the Middle East and elsewhere. Tom has also served in various high-level positions in the government (at both the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department), where he was involved in issues as diverse as war crimes, counterterrorism, and international justice.
Attendees of the lecture will also have the opportunity to register for Scolnic Institute courses if they have not done so already.
Registration is encouraged using the form below.

“A Letter to David” Documentary Screening and Discussion
2025-10-05 14:00 - 16:30 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
Join Congregation Beth El for a ceremony to mark the second anniversary of October 7th and a screening of the documentary A Letter to David. Filmmaker Tom Shoval crafts a cinematic letter to David Cunio, held in Gaza since his abduction from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023. A decade after David and his twin brother Eitan starred in Shoval’s first film, the director blends past and present footage resulting in a compelling visual journey. A Letter to David recently won the Best Full-Length Documentary at the Ophirs, the Israeli Academy Awards.
Co-sponsored by the JCRC of Greater Washington.
Please use the form below to register.

Second Day Sukkot Deli Sermon and Lunch
2025-10-08 09:15 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
Join us for the Second Day Sukkot Festival Morning Service on Wednesday, October 8, at 9:15 am. Rabbi Greg Harris will be giving the “deli sermon.” A tradition for Second Day Sukkot at Beth El, the deli sermon is a witty and humorous teaching around the readings for Sukkot that was first started by our beloved Rabbi Emeritus Bill Rudolph z”l. After the service, stay for our annual Sukkot Deli Lunch kiddush, which is generously sponsored this year by David Bachrach.

Senior Caucus Coffee with the Clergy
2025-10-09 14:00 - 15:00 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
Senior Caucus Coffee with the Clergy on Thursday, October 9 from 2:00 to 3:00 pm in the sukkah. This every-other-month gathering is an informal time to catch up with fellow congregants, hear updates about what is happening at Beth El and in the news, enjoy light refreshments, and do some Jewish learning together. Rabbi Harris will join us in the sukkah for a discussion of the holidays that occur over the 13 days after Yom Kippur, including the biblical sources and traditional observance.

Women of Beth El Sukkah Social
2025-10-09 19:00 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
Join Women of Beth El for our annual Sukkah Social. We’ll gather in the sukkah and then move inside for some schmoozing, noshing, and a little Sukkot-related learning from special guest speaker Paula Whyman. Whyman will share her story and answer questions.

Bad Naturalist is Paula Whyman’s first book of nonfiction. Her earlier book, You May See a Stranger, is an award-winning linked short story collection. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post and The American Scholar, and in journals including McSweeney’s Quarterly, Virginia Quarterly Review, Ploughshares, and The Hudson Review. She was awarded residencies by MacDowell, Yaddo, VCCA, The Studios of Key West, and Oak Spring Garden Foundation. Her work on this book was supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council. She spends her time on a mountain in Virginia with her husband and a mercurial standard poodle. Visit her at paulawhyman.com, and keep up with news from the mountain via her Bad Naturalist newsletter.

Please RSVP using the form below.

Hearing Men's Voices
2025-10-09 19:30 - 21:00 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
Beth El men are invited to join us in person at Beth El or via Zoom as Martin Sieff leads a discussion of “Persons Historical or Current with Whom I Would Like to Share Dinner.”

Please RSVP using the form below.
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Lunch in the Sukkah for Federal Workers
2025-10-10 12:00 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
Beth El invites anyone affected by the federal government shutdown to join us for lunch on Friday, October 10, at noon. Please know that you are valued and essential to our community. Come share a meal in the sukkah, enjoy conversation, and find support and connection with our clergy and fellow congregants.

Please RSVP using the form below.

Families with Young Children Shabbat
2025-10-10 18:00 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
Join other families with young children for a family friendly Shabbat service, followed by a family style dinner!
Please use the form below to register for dinner by noon on Wednesday, October 8.
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Purple Shabbat
2025-10-11 09:15 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). Over 1 in 3 (35.6%) women and 1 in 4 men (28.5%) in the US have experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Beth El is honored to join with synagogues across the region in partnership with JCADA for Purple Shabbat. This observance is dedicated to supporting survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV), affirming our community’s commitment that abuse will never be tolerated, and fostering essential dialogue about the importance of healthy relationships. We invite you to participate in this meaningful Shabbat service on October 11.

Havdalah and Kumsitz in the Sukkah
2025-10-11 19:30 - 21:30 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
Please join Scott Glick, Hazzan Asa Fradkin, Beth El’s Shaliach Yoel Gleizer, Debra Ben Avram, and other Beth El musicians for a special Havdalah and Kumsitz in the Sukkah, on Saturday, October 11, 2025, beginning at 7:30 pm. Refreshments will be served.
Oneg generously sponsored by Sababa Beach Camps. Please meet with Director Danny Mishkin, who will be in attendance at the kumsitz, to learn more about Sababa Beach Camps for rising 4th-12th graders.
Please RSVP for this free event using the form below.
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Rosh Hodesh
2025-10-12 11:45 - 12:45 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
Rosh Hodesh is a monthly program designed for sixth grade girls and youth who identify with girlhood or outside the gender binary. Participants come together to build friendships, explore Jewish values, and talk about the things that matter—like identity, confidence, and connection. Through games, discussion, and creative activities, guided by a trained adult mentor, participants will grow as individuals and as a group. For more information, contact Allison Brown at abrown@bethelmc.org.
Please use the form below to sign up.
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Tzelem
2025-10-12 12:00 - 13:00 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
Tzelem is Beth El’s group for LGBTQ+ teens. This group is geared for 7th-12th graders and is meant to create a safe space for Jewish teens of all genders and sexualities to talk about the issues in their lives as teens. For more information, contact Allison Brown abrown@bethelmc.org.
Please use the form below to sign up.
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Shevet Group for 7th Grade Boys
2025-10-12 12:00 - 13:00 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
Shevet is a monthly program designed for seventh grade boys and youth who identify with boyhood or outside the gender binary. In this supportive group, participants build friendships and explore what it means to grow into their own identity—talking about real-life topics like masculinity, friendships, emotions, and Jewish values. Guided by a trained adult mentor, the group connects through conversation, games, and hands-on activities. For more information, contact Allison Brown abrown@bethelmc.org.
Please use the form below to sign up.
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Beyond BEENs Happy Hour in the Sukkah
2025-10-12 16:00 - 17:30 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
Join Beyond BEENs (Beth El Empty Nesters) for our annual gathering in the sukkah. Reconnect with old friends and make new ones.
Registration is now closed.

Simchat Torah 5786
2025-10-14 19:30 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
Please join us on October 14 at 7:30 pm for our annual Simchat Torah celebration, one of the most joyous and fun nights of the year. The evening including singing and dancing with the Beth El Band. The Simchat Torah celebration is sponsored in loving memory of David H. Topol z”l, whose joyful spirit and commitment to Jewish life continue to inspire.

Book Chat: Your Presence is Mandatory by Sasha Vasilyuk
2025-10-16 19:00 - 20:00 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
Join us for an in-person book discussion at Beth El of Sasha Vasilyuk’s Your Presence is Mandatory, winner of the 2025 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature and a California Book Award Gold Medal. This gripping novel follows a Ukrainian Jewish man and his family over seven decades beginning in the 1940s, illuminating both the Soviet past and the present-day Russia-Ukraine war.
You are also invited to register for our Meet the Author program with Sasha Vasilyuk via Zoom on Thursday, October 23, at 7:00 pm, which will nicely complement the Book Chat.
Copies of Your Presence is Mandatory are available through Politics & Prose at a 10 percent discount. Click here and insert the coupon code SPECIAL10 (no spaces) in the field labelled “Apply Coupon.” You will then have the option of either picking up the book at the store or having it shipped. You must create a free P&P account (easy to do) to order the book.
This program is sponsored by the Library Committee, Women of Beth El, and Men’s Club.
Questions? Contact Robin Jacobson at librarian@adasisrael.org.
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Lunch with the Clergy for Federal Workers
2025-10-17 12:00 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
Beth El invites anyone affected by the federal government shutdown to join us for lunch on Friday, October 17, at noon. Please know that you are valued and essential to our community. Come share a meal, enjoy conversation, and find support and connection with our clergy and fellow congregants.
Please RSVP using the form below.
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Yedid Nefesh Friday Night Musical Service
2025-10-17 18:30 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
Do you like to sing from your heart to bring in Shabbat? Did you love Friday nights at Jewish summer camp? Join Rabbi Megdal and community leaders for Yedid Nefesh, a Friday evening musical service that blends familiar melodies and traditional liturgy, woven together with kavannot (intentions) and short teachings.

Hagbah Workshop: Learn to Lift the Torah
2025-10-19 10:00 - 11:00 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
Are you interested in learning a new Jewish skill or brushing up on your technique? Lifting the Torah – known as hagbah – is a sacred honor that connects you physically and spiritually to the heart of Jewish tradition. This honor is open to anyone willing to learn, including post-b-mitzvah teens and adults of all genders. Lifting the Torah is not about strength, but technique and reverence. Are you interested in learning how to perform this mitzvah? You’ll learn the proper stance, grip, and technique to safely and respectfully raise the scroll, revealing its text to the congregation as a symbol of Torah’s accessibility to all. No need to be a bodybuilder – just bring reverence, readiness, and a willingness to grow. Let’s lift together.
Questions? Contact Mitchell Solkowitz at minyanchaverim@bethelmc.org. Can’t make the October 19 workshop? Another session will be available on Shabbat, November 8, after kiddush.
Please RSVP by October 16.

Celebrating Sara Greenbaum
2025-10-21 19:30 - 21:00 | Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States
After 25 years of working at Beth El (eight years in the Beth El office and 17 years teaching in Beth El Preschool), Sara Greenbaum retired at the end of August. Join us on Tuesday, October 21, 7:30-9:00 pm for a celebration honoring Sara as she begins her next life adventure.
RSVPs are requested by Thursday, October 16, at 5:00 pm using the form below.
Donations celebrating Sara’s retirement may be made to the Annual Campaign.
