B'nai Israel Congregation | |
---|---|
Religion | |
Affiliation | Conservative Judaism |
Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Synagogue |
Leadership |
|
Status | Active |
Location | |
Location | Rockville, Maryland |
Country | United States |
Location within Maryland | |
Geographic coordinates | 39°03′15″N77°07′41″W / 39.054174°N 77.128007°W |
Architecture | |
Type | Synagogue architecture |
Date established | 1925 (as a congregation) |
Completed | c. 1970 |
Specifications | |
Capacity | 3,500 worshippers |
Interior area | 125,000 square feet (11,600 m2) |
Website | |
bnaiisraelcong | |
[1] [2] |
B'nai Israel Congregation is a Conservative Jewish egalitarian congregation and synagogue, located in Rockville, Maryland, in the United States. [3] B'nai Israel's mission is to study in the Jewish tradition, worship God, commit to social action, and address the needs of the Jewish people locally, in Israel, and worldwide. [3] The congregation consists of 1,200 families. [3]
B'nai Israel's clergy includes rabbi Michael J. Safra, Rabbi Mitchell H. Berkowitz, Cantor Josh C. Perlman, and Cantor Sarah Bolts. [1] Rabbi Matthew H. Simon and Rabbi Jonathan A. Schnitzer both serve as rabbi emeritus, and Cantor Robert Kieval is cantor emeritus. [1] Marla Schulman serves as B'nai Israel's president. [4]
B'nai Israel holds religious services, including morning and evening minyan, [5] Shabbat services, [6] and holiday services. [7]
B'nai Israel's preschool has a religious curriculum and enrolls children between 15 months and 5 years of age. [8] B'nai Israel's religious school has classes for students in kindergarten through eleventh grade. [9] Classes are held on Sundays and weekday evenings. [9]
Lectures and classes are held during the year at B'nai Israel to educate Jewish adults. [10] Social action programs at B'nai Israel include school supply drives, fall and winter clothing drives, and blood drives. [11]
In 2011, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism's Solomon Schechter Awards presented B'nai Israel with a gold award for Jewish education for adults. [12] United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism noted B'nai Israel's "varied courses and programs provide learners with a greater appreciation for the scope of Jewish history and thought and offer conceptual grounding in many key aspects of Judaism and Jewish life." [12]
B'nai Israel was founded in 1925. [2]
In 1936, B'nai Israel was led by Rabbi Henry Segal and was located at 14th Street and Emerson Street NW in the Washington, D.C., neighborhood of Sixteenth Street Heights. [13] Membership increased, and B'nai Israel moved to a larger space at 16th Street and Allison Streets NW, which was also in Sixteenth Street Heights. [13] In 1952, B'nai Israel moved a few blocks away, to 16th Street and Crittenden Street NW. [13] At the time, B'nai Israel's members generally lived nearby. [13]
By the mid-1960s, however, many of B'nai Israel's members had moved away from the neighborhood, and those who had stayed felt unsafe in the neighborhood. [13] The synagogue was vandalized, and some members said they were afraid to attend services. [13]
In 1970, B'nai Israel bought 14 acres (56,700 m2) on Montrose Road in Rockville, Maryland. [13] The old building was sold to Nineteenth Street Baptist Church for $1.2 million. [13]
Rabbi Matthew H. Simon attended an ecumenical worship service marking the presidential inauguration of George H. W. Bush in 1989. [14] Rabbi Simon read verses from Deuteronomy 10:17–10:18. [14]
In 1989, Rabbi Jonathan Schnitzer left B'nai Abraham Synagogue in Wilson, Pennsylvania, to join B'nai Israel Congregation. [15]
in 2002, B'nai Israel held a forum for candidates for governor of Maryland. [16] Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and Bob Ehrlich both participated, and Barry Sussman served as the forum's moderator. [16]
In 2006, B'nai Israel held a forum for candidates. [17] Participants included Martin O'Malley, candidate for governor of Maryland; Kristen Cox, candidate for lieutenant governor of Maryland; and Ben Cardin, candidate for United States Senate. [17] Jonathan Salant served as moderator. [17]
In 2007, B'nai Israel hosted a forum sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington. [18] Presidential candidate Rudolph W. Giuliani spoke at the forum. [18]
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