Israel
Vote for Your Vision of Israel
April 4, 2025
By Larry Sidman with Karen Benezra. At the first World Zionist Congress in November 1897, Theodor Herzl proclaimed his vision for the reestablishment of the State of Israel as a …
Meet David Speer, Executive Director at the Maryland/Israel Development Center
March 24, 2025
David Speer recently spoke to Beth El members at an event hosted by Beth El’s Men’s Club and sponsored by the Am Yisrael Chai committee to share insights on the …
Holding “Terror States” to Account: Seeking Justice in U.S. Courts
February 26, 2025
By Aryeh Portnoy. The terror attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023 that resulted in the murder of roughly 1,200 people, the kidnapping of more than 250, and the destruction …
Joy, Grief, and Determination as Hostages from Kibbutz Nir Oz Return in Phase 1 Releases
February 24, 2025
By Salo Zelermyer. As part of our partnership with Kibbutz Nir Oz – the special community shattered by the terrorist attacks on October 7 – for the 9 Shabbatot leading …
Israel and Gaza: No End in Sight
February 7, 2025
By Eric Gartman. The tenuous hostage-exchange and ceasefire deal in place between Israel and Hamas marks a pause in the longest and bloodiest eruption of violence that began on October …
The Campaign to Rebuild Nir Oz
October 29, 2024
During Yom Kippur, our Beth El community heard the heartbreaking story from Kibbutz Nir Oz family member Carmit Palty Katzir. Carmit’s father Rami, 79, was killed on October 7th. Hamas terrorists took …
The Simchat Torah Project
October 8, 2024
Beth El took part in the Jewish world’s one-year commemorations of October 7, 2023 – both in its public mourning and in its dancing. Our clergy and members gathered with …
Kesher: Nir Oz
March 25, 2024
By Salo Zelermyer. Since October 7, 2023, the question many of us have been asking is: “What can we do to help?” Some of us have traveled to Israel to …
Erupting or Evolving
February 12, 2024
By Rabbi Deborah Megdal. What makes a conversation around Israel “erupt”? I’ve been thinking about this question since a friend shared that her workplace has been, in her words, “erupting …
Building Lasting Connections: Nurturing Your Child’s Bond with Israel Beyond the Conflict
December 25, 2023
By Education Director Elisha Rothschild Frumkin. I love Israel. I always have. Even though no one in my family had ever visited in person – save my eccentric great uncle …