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The High Holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, mark a special time of renewal, re-commitment and repentance. At Beth El, we blend celebration and solemnity, striving to create space for our congregants to reconnect with God and Judaism.
Although traditional services take place every Shabbat, we have many special services that take place throughout the year:
Although the High Holy Days also are the high points for attendance at services during the year, we host spirit-filled services marking the Three Festivals, Sukkot, Passover and Shavuot, as well as other special services and holiday-related events throughout the year.
On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Beth El shares an Interfaith Thanksgiving Service with the Bethesda United Methodist Church, our neighbors across the street. The service includes the clergy and adult and children’s choirs from both places of worship and the location alternates between the church and synagogue.
Music-suffused traditions have long served to comfort us in the face of life’s challenges, and to help us find renewal when we, or others we know, are confronted by emotional, physical, or spiritual pain. In recognition of this, Evan Krame and Scott Glick have created a service to engage the Beth El community in an exploration of faith, comfort, and healing through the liturgies, melodies, and poetry of Jewish music.
Throughout the year, we have special Shabbat services introducing our congregation to extraordinarily talented individuals from outside the Beth El community or recognizing the contributions or accomplishments of our own members. These Shabbatot include the Rabbi-in-Residence weekend, the guest hazzan weekend, Sisterhood Shabbat and the Adult B’nai Mitzvah Shabbat.
