July 30, 2010
I would like to thank all of you who organized, planned, attended, contributed, wrote, and reached out to make my retirement an occasion for reflection and celebration. How much I appreciate all the efforts and all the words I have read and heard.
July 29, 2010
Sinai House urges all members of the Temple Sinai community to walk with us to raise awareness and funds for Sinai House.
Consecration is a ceremony that marks the beginning of a child’s Jewish education.
At Temple Sinai, we celebrate Consecration close to the festival of Chanukah, because it is a holiday that symbolizes dedication as we hope our students will be dedicated to a Jewish life filled with learning & observance, joy & celebration.
Please join us for Social Action Shabbat, where the Social Action committee will award the 2011 Social Action Awards.
To conclude Yom Kippur, Temple Sinai Women of Reform Judaism will sponsor a congregational Break-Fast in the social hall. All are welcome.
Join Noar for an epic adventure this Halloween weekend. We’ll depart on Friday afternoon for Sandy Hill, a beautiful camp on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. Come enjoy a weekend of hiking, sports, games, and learning with all of your friends at our first ever Noar-led retreat.
This all-day event, one of our biggest fundraisers of the year, will be held at the Bethesda Barnes & Noble. Present a bookfair voucher or mention Temple Sinai Nursery School when making your purchase and TSNS will receive a percentage of the proceeds. Support the nursery school through your purchase of books, CDs & DVDs, calendars and even Starbucks coffee from the B&N café!
24800 Kings Valley Road, Damascus, MD 20872
Calling all Temple Sinai young adults
(couples and singles)
Sushi, beer, bagels, lox,
And all the schmear
Please join Rabbi Jessica Oleon for BREAK-FAST on
Monday, September 28 in the Bet Am Hallway, which will commence after services at approximately 6:15 PM.
The event is free, but reservations are essential.
RSVP by Sept. 11rd on EventBrite or to Brenda Bergstein at 202-363-6394 x. 201.
July 28, 2010
Rabbi Reiner's report from the Annual Meeting on May 26, 2010
July 27, 2010
This month is one giant “shehechiyanu moment” for me. I am filled with joy, gratitude and pride to be the new senior rabbi of Temple Sinai. I am especially grateful to Rabbi Reiner and humbled to join him and the distinguished rabbis who have served in this position be-fore me: Rabbis Brickner and Lipman, may their memories be a blessing and inspiration.
In this special summer edition of the newsletter, you will find Rabbi Reiner's Annual Report, information about the Elliott Bredhoff Memorial Prize, and bios of our new lay leaders.
July 26, 2010
Temple Sinai members will host welcoming events for Rabbi Roos in their homes in July and August. These informal gatherings for 20-30 adults in our congregation will build community and provide opportunities forcongregants and Rabbi Roos to begin to get to know one another. We encourage you to sign up for one of these events.
Read and listen to current and past sermons.
July 23, 2010
July 22, 2010
9:30 AM – Service
10:30 or 11:00 AM – Program
Until 2 PM - Lunch with the Authors
Joint Service with Washington Hebrew, Temple Micah, and Adas Israel
July 21, 2010
Please join us for building community and refreshments following Shabbat Services
Please join us for building community and refreshments following Shabbat Services
This special service is held on the first Shabbat evening of each month, for families with infants through pre-school age children.
Immediately following Tot Shabbat
Jenna Weissman Joselit's presentation provides an overview of the nation’s relationship to the Ten Commandments, especially when it comes to the history of public display.
Bring Congregational Rep Form to meetings
On Shabbat morning, the discussion with Jenna Weissman Joselit will focus on Moses and the cultural uses to which the biblical character has been put in the United States by studying excerpts from Zora Neale Hurston’s celebrated 1930s novel, Moses, Man of the Mountain.
Our engagement with the varied manifestations of the Ten Commandments will conclude with an illustrated discussion of the ways in which this ancient compilation of do’s and don’ts has figured in America’s material and visual culture of the 19th and 20th century.
July 16, 2010
Can't make the Friday evening service? Prefer a more relaxed and intimate Shabbat morning experience? Want to carry the Torah or open the Ark? “Kehillat Shabbat is a wonderful way to become comfortable with, and celebrate Shabbat,” Helzner says.
The service concludes at noon and is followed by a kiddush lunch, provided by the Temple.
At the Simchat Shabbat Family service, participants sing, read, dance, pray, and celebrate a spirited Shabbat morning service. Led by Rabbi Jessica Oleon and Cantorial Soloist Robyn Helzner, Simchat Shabbat offers an alternative Shabbat morning experience for all ages.
The one-hour service begins at 10:00 AM in the Bet Am, on the third Saturday of every month, year-round. The service alternates between Hebrew and English, introducing Shabbat morning prayers in a comprehensive and energetic format.
A kiddush luncheon follows.
This year, our “Labor on the Bimah” speaker Deborah Berkowitz, Chief of Staff for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration presents:
Protecting Worker Health: A View from the Inside
Please join us at this critical juncture in our nation's history to hear first-hand about the impact of these latest mine and oil disasters on the lives of America's workers.
On Labor Day, we acknowledge that “AVODAH” means both worship and work, by connecting them in a meaningful Shabbat experience. Selichot is the late night service that opens the High Holy Day season.
At Erev Rosh Hashanah, we have a congregational service in the Sanctuary which is accompanied by our congregational choir. This service is led by Rabbis Roos, Portnoy, Oleon and Cantor Croen.
Congregants are not permitted in the building prior to 7:15 PM, due to building and security preparations.
Kehillat Yom Tov is a less formal and more intimate service led mostly by member volunteers and Cantorial Soloist Robyn Helzner. It is a moving and engaging experience for those who seek an alternative to the main Sanctuary Service. Community members share the responsibility for leading the prayers in Hebrew or English. Instead of a formal sermon, a volunteer prepares a topic in advance and leads a lively discussion.
This service, officiated by Rabbi Roos and Rabbi Portnoy, is intended for families with children from pre-readers through 2nd grade. We will use an age-appropriate prayer booklet and Cantorial Soloist, Robyn Helzner, will incorporate music and songs intended to bring the joy of the holidays to our younger members—and to their parents and grandparents as well.
Rabbi Roos will officiate at the Bethesda Service with Cantorial Soloist Robyn Helzner leading the music. Tickets are required, and worshippers must bring their own copies of Gates of Repentance. Parking is plentiful; however no child care is available.
3rd-6th grade services are led by Ronnie Tabeka and Sally Heckelman. They are held at Ingleside, next door to Temple Sinai and they utilize a prayer book entitled Gates of Repentance for Young People, which is provided to our young worshippers. Following these services, the children are offered a light snack, and then may participate in a variety of activities until the conclusion of the Sanctuary Service, at approximately 1:30 PM.
7th-12th graders can attend services in the Bet Am, followed by a light kiddush for the students. The Temple provides special prayer books compiled in part by Temple Sinai teens, with liturgy in which our teenage students participate. The service is led by Rabbi Jessica Oleon and Sandra Lederman along with members of our youth group, Sinaites.
Join us for the festive Tashlich ceremony on the afternoon of Rosh Hashanah at 5:00 PM; a brief liturgy is read and sung and we toss bread crumbs (symbolic of our sins) into the flowing stream. The ceremony will be held again this year at Grove #6 in Rock Creek Park (just north of the intersection of Military Road on Beach Drive).
Following the ritual, we will provide a light snack of cookies and punch. This is an event for all ages—families with young children, adults of all ages, anyone who wishes to participate. No tickets are required.
Kehillat Yom Tov is a less formal and more intimate service led mostly by member volunteers and Cantorial Soloist Robyn Helzner. It is a moving and engaging experience for those who seek an alternative to the main Sanctuary Service. Community members share the responsibility for leading the prayers in Hebrew or English. Instead of a formal sermon, a volunteer prepares a topic in advance and leads a lively discussion.
In the Sanctuary, the cellist brings a special intensity to our "Kol Nidre" service. Congregants may enter for the early service at 6:15 PM. Participants who do arrive prior to the start of services may hold one seat until 10 minutes before the service begins.
We follow the same structure at our “late” 9:15 PM service in the Sanctuary. This service is usually less heavily attended, and we encourage those who can attend that service to do so.
Please do not arrive for the 9:15 PM service before 9:00 PM, as the earlier service will still be in progress.
3rd-6th grade services for Yom Kippur are led by Ronnie Tabeka and Sally Heckelman. They are held at Ingleside, next door to Temple Sinai and they utilize a prayer book entitled Gates of Repentance for Young People, which is provided to our young worshippers. Following these services, the children are offered a light snack, and then may participate in a variety of activities until the conclusion of the Sanctuary Service, at approximately 1:30 PM.
7th-8th grade services for Yom Kippur are led by Rabbi Jessica Oleon and Sandra Lederman. They are held in the Bet Am. This service is designed to engage the pre-teens in a meaningful prayer experience of their own. Students will view a Jewish film or participate in supervised activities following the service until the conclusion of the Adult Service, at approximately 1:30 PM.
Please note that this year, a separate ticket is needed for the afternoon services.
Please note that this year, a separate ticket is needed for the afternoon services.
Please note that this year, a separate ticket is needed for the afternoon services.
At the conclusion of the morning adult service at Temple Sinai a series of discussion groups will be held. Each discussion will focus on an aspect our Temple’s theme for the year 5771, Beresheet: In the Beginning.
Discussion Group # 1— Environment: Our Stewardship of the Earth
Daniel Weiss, Senior Fellow and the Director of Climate Strategy at American Progress
Discussion Group #2— Education: How We Learn and Teach
Aleta Margolis, Executive Director, at the Center for Inspired Teaching
Discussion Group #3— Growing, Separating and Forgiving
Leader TBA
Held at Temple Emanuel, located at 10101 Connecticut Avenue, Kensington MD, 20895.
This evening, we will complete and begin (at the same time) the annual cycle of the reading of the Torah. At this Simchat Torah festival service, entire families and people of all ages will join in seven processionals (hakafot) around the Sanctuary with flags, special music, and dancing and singing in honor of the Torah.
We will meet for prayer, the recitation of Yizkor (the communal memorial ceremony), and more Torah processionals as we observe Shemini Azeret (“the 8th day of Assembly” described in the Torah, an add-on day to Sukkot).
We will gather with congregants from Temple Emanuel and Temple Shalom in our Bet Am as the liturgy inspires us to remember and to rejoice.
Rabbi Roos will officiate at this service in the Sanctuary. Cantor Croen and the Temple Sinai choir will provide the music. Seats are limited to our members and their guests. Please do not arrive before 10:15 AM for the 10:30 AM service. Early arrivals may hold one seat until 10 minutes before services begin. Tickets are required, and worshippers should bring their own copies of Gates of Repentance. Ticketing for this service is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Rabbi Portnoy will officiate at the Bethesda Service with Cantorial Soloist Robyn Helzner leading the music. Tickets are required and worshippers must bring their own copies of Gates of Repentance. Parking is plentiful; no child care is available.
Rabbi Portnoy will officiate at this service in the Sanctuary. Cantor Croen and the Temple Sinai choir will provide the musical accompaniment. Seats are limited to our members and their guests. Please do not arrive before 10:15 AM for the 10:30 AM service. Early arrivals may hold one seat until 10 minutes before services begin.
July 15, 2010
July 14, 2010
July 13, 2010
As we bid farewell to Rabbi Reiner and Sherry Levy-Reiner, the congregation has offered a variety of events to celebrate their contributions to Temple Sinai, Judaic scholarship and social activism.
July 12, 2010
July 09, 2010
High Holy Days Schedule is now posted!
Please join Rabbi Roos at any or all of our Shabbat services throughout the month of July and stay afterwards for “meet & greet” opportunities over dinner or lunch!
For Adult B'nai Mitzvah class
July 07, 2010
