Yah Echsof Elul Meditations Featured August 22 at 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm Yah Echsof Meditation Group Congregation Beth El 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, United States Join Hazzan Fradkin and Alisa Silverman for High Holidays preparation through mindfulness. We will use meditation, chant, and study to delve into our spiritual tradition and explore Elul themes focused on renewal and humility. Please RSVP using the form below.
Summer Blood Drive Featured August 23 at 8:00 am Congregation Beth El 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, United States Join us for Beth El's blood drive and help make a lifesaving difference in our community. This will be the last opportunity to donate blood at Beth El before the High Holidays. During the summer, blood donations decline as many people travel and vacation, while the need for blood remains high due to an increase ...
Shofar Blowing Workshop Featured August 23 at 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Greenwich Neighborhood Park 8400 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, United States Join us for a hands-on Shofar Blowing Workshop where tradition comes to life! Whether you're preparing for the High Holidays or simply want to explore this powerful mitzvah, this class offers step-by-step guidance on how to blow the shofar. Open to all ages and skill levels, no prior experience needed. Come learn the technique, meaning, ...
Back-to-Shul BBQ Featured August 28 at 5:00 pm Congregation Beth El 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, United States It's time for our annual Back to Shul BBQ! Join us on Friday, August 28, at 5:00 pm to welcome everyone back from the summer. There will be opportunities to reconnect with friends, eat some yummy food, see how you can get involved at Beth El this year, and hang out and play. Stay after ... $16
Chug Kriah August 30 at 7:00 pm Chug Kriah meets regularly to read and discuss modern Israeli literature in Hebrew. Our first meeting of the year will be on August 30 at 7:00 PM on Zoom. Our first book of the year is Natan v’Amos by Assaf Inbari. For more information including the Zoom link, please contact Bill Kanter at kanterdsw@aol.com.
Community Shofar Gathering – Modena Featured September 4 at 2:00 pm Modena Reserve Bethesda 4907 Rugby Ave, Bethesda, United States Excited for the sounds of the High Holiday season? Join us at one of Beth El's community shofar gatherings as you warm up for the New Year, 5787. Don't miss out on these "bonus blasts" while connecting to friends, neighbors, and Beth El clergy! Shofar blowing will happen just before Modena's early Friday night Shabbat ...
Sound Bath and Contemplative Selichot Service Featured September 5 at 8:00 pm Congregation Beth El 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, United States Join us as we enter the High Holidays with intentionality and prepare our hearts to return and do teshuva (repentance). This three-part journey involves 1. Sound, 2. Havdalah, and 3. Selichot (Return). Please register using the form below.
Community Shofar Gathering Featured September 6 at 5:00 pm Offsite Excited for the sounds of the High Holiday season? Join us at one of Beth El's community shofar gatherings as you warm up for the New Year, 5787. Don't miss out on these "bonus blasts" while connecting to friends, neighbors, and Beth El clergy! This event will take place at the home of Rabbi Greg ...
Community Shofar Gathering – Kensington Featured September 7 at 5:00 pm Excited for the sounds of the High Holiday season? Join us at one of Beth El's community shofar gatherings as you warm up for the New Year, 5787. Don't miss out on these "bonus blasts" while connecting to friends, neighbors, and Beth El clergy! This event will take place at the home of Hazzan Asa ...
High Holiday Season Movie Outing – Death & Taxes Featured September 15 at 7:00 pm Edlavitch DCJCC 1529 16th St NW, Washington, DC, United States Tickets sales through the Beth El website are now closed. But you can still join us by purchasing tickets through the JxJ website at https://www.edcjcc.org/jxj/show/death-taxes/#performances while tickets are still available. Use the coupon code: "BEHEREAFTER" to get a discount off the regular ticket price. $16
Yom Kippur Nigun Circle and Meditation September 21 at 2:15 pm - 3:15 pm Congregation Beth El 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, United States In the stillness of the afternoon, between the intensity of the prayers, gather with Hazzan Asa Fradkin, Rabbi Rami Schwartzer, and shaliach Yoel Gleizer to enter the quiet power of melody. Through the ancient practice of nigun—wordless, winding song—we open the heart, settle the spirit, and draw close to something deeper. No experience needed; off-key voices most welcome.
Support After Loss September 21 at 3:30 pm Support After Loss Congregation Beth El 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 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. ...
High Holiday Seminar September 21 at 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm Congregation Beth El 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, United States Join us on Yom Kippur for our High Holiday Seminar, led by Rabbi Harris. The seminar will feature a discussion with congregant Michelle Brafman about her newest book, Draw Near to Me. Draw Near to Me, the sequel to Michelle’s book Swimming with Ghosts, is a timely story about the emotional and spiritual work it takes to repair ...
Joyful Living and Wise Aging September 23 at 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm Congregation Beth El 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, United States The Joyful Living and Wise Aging course is a six session weekly class beginning in September 2026. The goal is to help participants to explore a variety of facets of aging well from a Jewish perspective. The class is participatory and experiential in nature. Acceptance into the course will be on a first come, first ...
Kol Haneshama Friday Night Musical Service Featured September 25 at 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Kol Haneshama Congregation Beth El 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, United States Join us on 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 ...
Beyond BEENs Happy Hour in the Sukkah Featured September 30 at 4:00 pm Congregation Beth El 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, United States Join Beyond BEENs for our annual gathering in the sukkah. Reconnect with old friends and meet new ones. Please use the form below to register.
Senior Caucus Coffee with the Clergy Featured October 1 at 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Coffee with the Clergy Congregation Beth El 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, United States Join the Senior Caucus for our every other month Coffee with the Clergy. This is an informal time to catch up with each other, hear what is going on at Beth El, enjoy a light snack, and do some Jewish learning together. In October, Rabbi Megdal will join us as we meet in the Beth ...
Support After Loss October 3 at 12:30 pm Support After Loss Congregation Beth El 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, 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. ...
College Parent Social October 14 at 7:00 pm Congregation Beth El 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, United States They've unpacked, settled in, and (hopefully) done their first load of laundry. Now it's our turn to celebrate their college send-off. Parents of Beth El's college students are invited to a fall social hosted at a congregant's home in Bethesda on Wednesday, October 14, at 7:00 pm. Raise a glass, share a laugh, and connect ...
Mental Health Professionals Study Group Featured October 15 at 8:15 am - 9:30 am Congregation Beth El 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, United States Join our Mental Health Professionals Study Group for breakfast and a discussion of the therapeutic issues raised by the legacy of Schlomo Carlebach. The cost is $5 per person and includes breakfast. Please register using the form below. $5
Civil Rights Journey Information Session October 15 at 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Please join us for an information session for the December Civil Rights Journey to the South led by Rabbi Harris. We will discuss details of the trip, pre-trip events and readings, and meet other participants.
Yah Echsof Meditation Group Featured October 17 at 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm Congregation Beth El 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, United States While classical Jewish teaching suggests “Naaseh V’Nishmah” (“first we do, then we understand”), Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, founder of Jewish Renewal, advocated for an alternative approach. He believed that profound connection comes from first understanding one’s inner Jewish self through study, practice, and meditation. This monthly gathering adopts Reb Zalman’s path. We will use meditation, chant, ...
Book Chat – “Returning: A Search for Home Across Three Centuries” Featured October 18 at 11:00 am - 12:00 pm Congregation Beth El 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, United States Join us for an in-person discussion at Beth El of Returning: A Search for Home Across Three Centuries. This multi-layered and moving memoir by renowned author-journalist Nicholas Lemann, former dean of the Columbia School of Journalism, follows Lemann's life journey. He grew up in an ultra-assimilated New Orleans Jewish home, shaped by Mardi Gras balls ...
Jews & Brews October 20 at 7:00 pm Join Rabbi Harris for some schmoozing and casual Jewish learning around the fire pit at his home. This month, we'll explore the topic "Jewish Wisdom: Life is Hard, Wonderful, and Surprising." Jews & Brews is sponsored by Men’s Club, but all Beth El members are welcome to attend. Please register using the form below.
Kol Haneshama Friday Night Musical Service Featured October 23 at 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Kol Haneshama Congregation Beth El 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, United States Join us on 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 ...
