| B'nai Israel Congregation | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Synagogue interior withGovernor Hogan, in 2017 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Conservative Judaism |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Synagogue |
| Leadership |
|
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Rockville, Maryland |
| Country | United States |
  Location withinMaryland | |
| Coordinates | 39°03′15″N77°07′41″W / 39.054174°N 77.128007°W /39.054174; -77.128007 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Synagogue architecture |
| 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 aConservativeJewishegalitarian congregation andsynagogue, located inRockville,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 includesRabbi 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 asRabbi emeritus, and Cantor Robert Kieval is Cantor emeritus.[1] Marla Schulman serves as B'nai Israel'spresident.[4]
B'nai Israel holds religious services, includingmorning and evening minyan,[5]Shabbat services,[6] andholiday 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 at14th Street and Emerson Street NW in theWashington, D.C., neighborhood ofSixteenth Street Heights.[13] Membership increased, and B'nai Israel moved to a larger space at16th 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) onMontrose Road inRockville, 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 thepresidentialinauguration ofGeorge H. W. Bush in 1989.[14] Rabbi Simon read verses fromDeuteronomy 10:17–10:18.[14]
In 1989, Rabbi Jonathan Schnitzer left B'nai Abraham Synagogue inWilson, Pennsylvania, to join B'nai Israel Congregation.[15]
in 2002, B'nai Israel held a forum forcandidates forgovernor of Maryland.[16]Kathleen Kennedy Townsend andBob Ehrlich both participated, andBarry Sussman served as the forum's moderator.[16]
In 2006, B'nai Israel held a forum for candidates.[17] Participants includedMartin O'Malley,candidate forgovernor of Maryland;Kristen Cox,candidate forlieutenant governor of Maryland; andBen Cardin,candidate forUnited 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 candidateRudolph W. Giuliani spoke at the forum.[18]
Authority control databases: National |
|---|
