Congregation Beth El is a synagogue located in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

. Beth El is an egalitarian synagogue providing diverse worship in the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

tradition. Congregation Beth El started in 1951 as a synagogue of 16 families and has grown to approximately 1,000 families. Greg Harris is

Rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

, Deborah Megdal is Associate Rabbi, and Bill Rudolph is Rabbi Emeritus."Clergy"
Congregation Beth El of Montgomery County. Accessed on July 15, 2017. Asa Fradkin is Hazzan and Abe Lubin is Hazzan Emeritus. Rudolph, Harris, and Lubin have each been featured on the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

television program ''

Religion & Ethics Newsweekly ''Religion & Ethics Newsweekly'' was an American weekly television news-magazine program which aired on PBS. History and content Premiering in 1997, ''Religion & Ethics Newsweekly'' was devoted to news of religion and spirituality, along with ...

''. Congregation Beth El is housed in a modern structure of approximately on Old Georgetown Road. On the bimah of the main

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a sa ...

are two large tapestries, installed in September 1997. Created by local artist Tamar Fishman and executed by British weaver Pat Johns, the tapestries are inspired by two narratives from the

Book of Genesis The Book of Genesis (from Greek ; Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁית ''Bəreʾšīt'', "In hebeginning") is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its first word, ( "In the beginning" ...

that envision episodes in the life of the patriarch

Jacob Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. J ...

. One tapestry, named Beth El, reflects and the other, named Israel, reflects The tapestry Beth El was dedicated by former congregation President Walter Arnheim. Congregation Beth El has received recognition for its award-winning adult education program, the Saul Bendit Institute. Beth El's adult b'nai mitzvah ceremony received special notice in 2010 when 94-year-old Esther Isralow became the oldest of 19 congregants to complete the 18 months of study led by Rabbi Harris that culminated in the service. And Congregation Beth El has held interfaith seminars, such as a 2010 seminar on leadership with perspectives from the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...

, and the

Koran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , si ...

. In 2008, Congregation Beth El received a grant from the Pathways Awareness Foundation recognizing its actions to include worshippers of all abilities. In 2009, the

United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ) is the major congregational organization of Conservative Judaism in North America, and the largest Conservative Jewish communal body in the world. USCJ closely works with the Rabbinical Assembly ...

gave Beth El an award for the quality of its bulletins."USCJ To Honor Three Local Shuls". ''

Washington Jewish Week ''Washington Jewish Week'' (''WJW'') is an independent community weekly newspaper whose logo reads, "Serving the nation's capital and the greater Washington Jewish community since 1930."

''. 45 (35) (August 27, 2009): 29.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beth El Buildings and structures in Bethesda, Maryland Synagogues in Montgomery County, Maryland Conservative synagogues in Maryland Jewish organizations established in 1951 1951 establishments in Maryland