My family joined Beth El way back in 1957, very shortly after it opened. My mother and aunt still…read morebelong to the congregation. My sister & I attended Sunday School there for eleven years/each and we were confirmed at Beth El. I adored Rabbi Scolnic & Judy and I've been very impressed with Rabbi Rudolph's kindness & humor. The staff - and there are many - have always been wonderful. In particular, I'm very fond of Ricardo; he's in charge of senior programs and my mother participates in those. The kitchen & the facilities staff are terrific and there's very little turnover (I fondly remember Dorothy Beverly, who ran the kitchen for eons). Cantor Lubin had an incredibly beautiful singing voice and "a heart of gold". I've also heard great things about the new cantor. The receptionist - Hattie - is very friendly. Beth El's Nursery School has always had a superb reputation. My sister & I belonged to Beth El's USY (youth group) and loved it. I have great memories of attending my sister's wedding and two of my close friends' weddings at Beth El (I met them via USY in 1965 and we're still friends). I have special memories of attending my late grandfather's 90th birthday party at the Morning Minyan, where the beloved (late) Max Cohen prepared the food. I spoke at his funeral service at Beth El....I have myriad memories of my association with Beth El throughout my life, both happy and poignant. The thing I love in particular about the congregation is that its large size doesn't detract one bit from its incredibly personal ambiance. In recent years the building has been expanded a few times due to increased enrollment and it's a beautiful place. I'm not a religious person, but I love Beth El in its entirety.

This is an odd review. I am not Jewish. I donated blood this morning through Inova Blood Donation…read moreServices at the Congregation Beth El in Bethesda. Members of the congregation were volunteering at various stations. I was so impressed with the kindness, courtesy & respect with which I was treated by the volunteering members. This was such a positive experience - I left with a warm feeling for these generous people who gave of their time to volunteer. Sincerely, Susie

Fantastic kiddish, welcoming congregation that really felt nice, with a lovely service and nice…read moreRabbis.

I whole heartedly agree with Jeff's review! The community…read moreneeds to know that the Sisterhood runs one of the best Judaica Shops in the area (2019 Winner of Best Judaica Shop by the Washington Jewish Week). The Shop is open now, even during the pandemic, but by appointment only. Call 301-770-7577 for more information.

Machar is my home! After being schooled in Reform Judaism, saying words I didn't really believe in,…read moreI found myself in a congregation that not only respects a variety of views, but also encourages logical thinking-- all in the pursuit of our common goals: to make sense of our place on earth so that we can do tikkan olum , we can repair the world and have fun at the same time. Machar is my home!

My wife and I joined Machar because we want our daughters to experience Jewish life, but we are not…read morecomfortable with a lot of the traditional theistic prayers. Machar's perfect for us, and the new rabbi, Nehama Benmosche, is energetic, thoughtful, and great with kids. (Full disclosure: I was until recently a board member of Machar.)

I love this synagogue and hope to spread the word to others looking for a caring community where…read moreyou can learn and grow your Judaism in whatever ways work for you. They come together not just for fun and social events but to support each other in times of need, illness and death. The clergy are amazing and you can get involved in many ways. Both adult and youth education are innovative and relevant. There are voluntary dues for young families and you should see the amazing new playground!

I grew up as a member of this is the synagogue. I have only the fondest of memories of this place,…read moreand on my very few returns since high school I have not been disappointed. Rabbi Weinblatt is an incredibly engaging and insightful speaker with a veritable command of Jewish humor. When my family joined in 1996 the congregation was less than 5 years old and thus featured a younger demographic. Since that time the congregation has aged a little bit and attendance on Saturdays is a bit lower because there are fewer Bar Mitzvahs. Nonetheless, there are a good 1000 people here on the High Holidays. Back in the day I believe the synogogue's membership included over 500 families. The pastoral Potomac campus features an absolutely beautiful building that I'd characterize as Mediteranean Postmodern. There is even a small stream on the back side of the property that is used to throw bread into the water on Rosh Hashanah (Tashlich). This is a Conservative Synagogue but the Rabbi speaks in english when delivering many of his thoughts on the Parsha. Men and women are mixed at this shul, but all of the Torah reading is done in Hebrew. This synagogue is noticably more conservative and slightly smaller than Washington Hebrew and Temple Beth-El. This very vibrant Jewish community is the bar by which I've always metered synagogues I've been to since.

We enrolled our child in the school, are joining the congregation, and have heard excellent…read morefeedback from others about the quality of the education.

I have to pile on to the previous review. You can't find a warmer, kinder or more progressive…read morecongregation. It is filled with caring souls who reflect the light shed by their wonderful clergy, all under the leaderships of their most wonderful senior rabbi, Danny Zemel. I would not have found the need to even comment about this nationally renowned rabbi and this congregation were it not for a totally unfounded, ill informed review posted by someone else previously. It is sometimes hard to overcome negative comments, but this derisive one, to which I refer, should be dismissed by anyone with even the least degree of discernment.

Temple Micah is an extraordinary place. Welcoming, open-minded, spiritual and fun. A great place…read moreto check out if you're looking for a non-judgmental, spirited synagogue environment!

MoEd is good. Ecc is decent. Good shul though. Nice people and a very good E-galitarian service.read more

Ohr Kodesh is a warm and open place. They have tons of great family and kid events and resources…read more The early childhood center is one of the best in Maryland.

I want to kindergarten here in the early 60ies because we lived a The Berkshire around the corner…read moreon Mass avenue. The funny thing was the Kindergarten was run by Catholic Nuns, I guess that rented the place. I remeber have a small rug I brought with me that we would take naps on. They would not let you graduate unless you pass some test and one was skipping. I did not know how to skipp and maybe due to my dyslexia (diagnosed later) that added to the challenge. My Mom was determined that I would pass and learn to skip. I remember practicing and learning to skip on the sidewalk between this center and the Berkshire over and over. I finally learned to skip and graduated from Kindergarten but have the memory every time I pass that area of Mass avenue. Will have to stop in to the center sometime and see what I remember as a large room we had class in looks like today.

Beth Chai congregation has an interesting mix of Jewish and non Jewish members. They consider…read morethemselves Jewish Humanists - which means they focus on cultural and secular Jewish life. They have roughly 20-39 families and their own Sunday school, High Holiday Services, and monthly Shabbat or Havdallah Services.