Congregation Beth El - Worship and Study Minyan

02/28/2026

11/22/2024

Remember when we all got together on Saturday morning? Let's do it again tomorrow!

07/28/2024

Julius Rosenwald, a Jewish philanthropist, helped create thousands of schools for African Americans in the early 20th century. 15 of those schools were in Montgomery County. As the MCPS considers changing the name on seven schools now commemorating enslavers, we urge the naming of a school for Julius Rosenwald to continue his legacy of caring and cooperation. Please print, sign, and send the petition 1) to the Board of Education at [email protected] or 2) by "mail" to
The Montgomery County Board of Education
Carver Educational Service Center
850 Hungerford Drive. Rockville MD 20850

07/08/2024

I am sad to share that Dr. Arnold Band, a world-renowned Hebrew and Modern Israeli Literature scholar, passed away on Sunday, July 7. Dr. Band is the father to our friends Jonathan Band and his wife Leesa Fields. The funeral will be on Tuesday, July 9 at 11 am in the chapel at the Garden of Remembrance, Clarksburg, Maryland. Shiva will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings at 7, with minyan at 7:30, at the Band home in North Bethesda.

Professor Arnold J. Band earned his BA in Classics and his PhD in Comparative Literature at Harvard University. He studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the University of Paris. His research focused on the relationship between texts and historical contexts in Jewish Literature of all periods, and specifically in modern Hebrew literature. He has published a lengthy study on the Hebrew author S.Y. Agnon entitled Nostalgia and Nightmare, an annotated volume of translations of the Hasidic Tales of Nahman of Braslav, and many articles on a variety of other topics, such as Kafka, Bialik, The Book of Jonah, Semantic Rhyme in Hebrew Prosody, modern Israeli fiction and poetry. Professor Band founded the UCLA Comparative Literature Program in 1969 and was awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award in 1981. He received both a National Endowment of Humanities Fellowship and a Guggenheim Fellowship. He was the Director of UCLA’s Jewish Studies Center from 1994 to 1996.

May his family and loved ones be blessed by his memory and comforted by this community.

06/14/2024

Supporters of the Oct. 7 attack pervert the words of justice.

The language of justice should emulate Godliness and not be perverted to justify acts of violence or revenge.

05/29/2024

I was asked: "Why lead civil rights trips when the African American community doesn't support us?" It is precisely because our alliances with other groups have weakened, that we must be interested in their stories. How else can we ask them to participate in our efforts and expect engagement? Rabbi Doug Kahn of the San Francisco JCRC wrote: "We must be far more visible and engaged in bridge-building activities even as we are simultaneously more selective in our alliances. It is not a time to walk away. It is a time to seriously invest."

Our civil rights trip for November is ½ full. Are you interested in going? Email us at [email protected].

04/01/2024

The Jerusalem Youth Chorus returns to DC on April 9. https://jerusalemyouthchorus.app.getcuebox.com/o/Q053VCG4/shows/ZXV0XLZJ

03/03/2024

Just a few days left, so register now before the event fills up! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/concert-with-jessica-kate-meyer-and-hankus-netsky-tickets-797548477967