A few weeks ago I mentioned to you that I was going to do a Tikun Leil Shavuot on May 28, from 6-8pm. My plan was to share texts from Abraham Joshua Heschel relating to Revelation and…
Dear Etz Hayim Family: As you know, after nearly 19 years of service, Rabbi Lia Bass has communicated her intention to leave the congregation at the end of June 2020. We are deeply saddened to see her…
I’m currently reading The Chosen Wars: How Judaism Became An American Religion by Steven R. Weisman. It traces the arrival of Jews to America beginning in revolutionary times but spends the bulk of the book discussing the…
On Friday, November 15, 2019, our congregation celebrated the re-dedication of the library. This event was well-timed to coincide with Jewish Book Month which takes place annually in November. To recognize these occasions, there was a special…
This summer I had the incredible experience of attending a 3-week summer session at the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem. I’ve been to Israel as both a tourist and a student including a 10-day session at Hebrew Union…
On May 5, CEH Fourth and Fifth Graders traveled to Congregation Tifereth Israel for the third in a series of joint Israel programs. The first program focused on Am Yisrael (the People of Israel). The second program…
On a beautiful sunny day, CEH members and friends enjoyed a walking tour of Jewish Washington, DC. The tour focused on the historic Seventh Street, NW, neighborhood during the years 1850 to 1950. We saw four former…
Every year our congregation looks forward to a joyous tradition – our annual Purim Celebration. According to the Megillah (scroll of Esther), we observe Purim as a time of “feasting and gladness.” For example, we dress in…
On Saturday, March 2, a large group of comedy-lovers, approximately 75 people, including congregants, neighbors, guests from a nearby senior residence, and friends from the Arlington Moishe House, went on a virtual two-hour journey across the map…
This year’s teen field trip was to historic Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We kept busy with a tour of the Museum of American Jewish History where we learned about different waves of Jewish immigration to the United States, starting…