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.

We have been members for over 3 years now and since day one, have always felt welcome in Shaare…read moreTorah. I recall on our first Shabbat how we were welcomed warmly before we ever got into the sanctuary and it gave us a sense of warmth and acceptance that has only grown since. We now have a new, vibrant, energetic young rabbi who is inspirational and conversational. He wants to know who you are so he can be the spiritual leader you need him to be for "you" as well as for the rest of the community. You will always feel safe and never alone in this synagogue from a security as well as a "family" point of view. Whether you become a member or not is up to you. This synagogue will embrace you whenever you are ready because you will always feel safe be special when you are in that building. Reach out and you will not be disappointed.

We love Shaare Torah! We've been members for about 2 years. Our daughter is in religious school and…read morewe've been very happy with their dedication to high quality Jewish education. We love Rabbis Annie and Yosef. They bring a fun, youthful, but enriching presence to services. This is such a gem and we really recommend it to anyone looking for a welcoming, vibrant Conservative shul.

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.

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

This review is about the classes at Jewish ROC, not about services. I haven't attended any…read morereligious services here. I went here because there was an ad in the Post for Kabbalah classes. I took a Kabbalah 101 seminar that was fascinating. This is not Madonna's Kabbalah. It was a 6 hour seminar on a Sunday. I am Jewish, and it is important to me that this class is taught by a rabbi. There were people in the class who are not Jewish, and it is not necessary to be a Jew to take the class. Rabbi Benamou has an amazing intellect and teaches the history with dates and names, never looking at a note. He is passionate about the history of the transmission of the Torah to the Jews, as well as the significance of the Oral law and how it was passed through generations. I could go on about the rest of the teaching, but the most important thing is, that if you are curious about Kabbalah regarding death, reincarnation, resurrection, heaven, hell.....etc., these questions get quite specifically answered. I went on to take the Kabbalah 102 class. It was the first time the Rabbi presented 102 as a seminar. We got carried away with the prophets and sages, and had to come back a second time to finish the seminar. I didn't mind and I'm still impressed enough to consider taking other classes.

Rabbi Benamou is an amazing Rabbi who relates in a meaningful way to Reformed and unaffiliated…read moreJewish people in all stages of personal growth. His Kabbalah classes are life changing. He started studying Kabbalah when he was 8 years old In Israel. His wife Ruthie also teaches Hebrew in a way that even I could understand. I feel like family when I go to Friday night dinner and Shabbos lunch that he has every week and is open and free to all. I have made many friends as well because they made me feel so welcome even though I didn't know anyone when I started attending classes and when I have the opportunity to go on Shabbos or holidays. Five amazing stars!

I went to nursery school and Hebrew school at Har Shalom. I was Bar Mitzvahed here…read more I love our building. It is truly beautiful. Our sanctuaries and social hall are amazing. Our community has always been a very welcoming place. One Yelper Ana wrote about concerns about Rabbi Raskin. I share her concerns. The Rabi does not like to meet with people regardless of whether or not they're of his faith. I was in an awful car accident, through the fault of another driver, and am truly blessed to be alive, The Rabbi did not return my calls and would not meet with me in my home as I recovered despite my attempts to contact him. He finally called when I left a message for somebody else telling them how disappointed I was. The rabbi still would not meet with me despite my home being less than a mile from our synagogue and walkable for any healthy person. This was well before Corona. Months later, it is easily walkable for me. Why would I want to meet with such a clergyman? I saw an Orthodox Jew wearing a Yamika on the street and he gladly said the Mishaberach with me, when my Rabbi would not. I hope this review motivates the Rabbi to change the way he does his job for the good of our synagogue community.

Our family has had such an overwhelmingly positive experience at the Sherman Early Childhood Center…read moreand Congregation Har Shalom over the past few years. We feel so very fortunate to have found this beautiful place and could not recommend this unique community more highly to other families. The Sherman ECC at Har Shalom: We did a lot of research into the various preschool options in the Potomac-Rockville-Bethesda area before we found the Sherman ECC. This preschool is a magical place, a life-changing experience for your family and your child. We feel such an overwhelming amount of gratitude to the extraordinary teachers at the Sherman ECC for their dedication to our children. Beth Hoch is the Director of the Sherman ECC and she is simply spectacular. Beth has a genuine gift for educating young children and interacting with families. We interviewed dozens of preschool directors when we were researching the preschools in the area, and Beth truly stood out as someone inherently gifted in her role as Director of the ECC. Congregation Har Shalom: After joining the Sherman ECC, we started attending community events and prayer services at the Har Shalom synagogue. We had the same fabulous experience at the synagogue. Rabbi Adam Raskin fosters a true sense of community and friendship throughout the synagogue and his sermons are genuinely interesting and accessible to people at all levels of religious observance. He is also very approachable: the kids run up to him during services for a chocolate or many chocolates, he walks around shaking hands with congregants, and he also visits with everyone individually after prayer services. The prayer services and other community events are often also led by Cantor Henrique Ozur Bass, another spectacular member of the Har Shalom clergy. Cantor Ozur Bass is extremely approachable, supportive, kind, friendly and funny. It has been such an absolute pleasure to participate in his prayer services over the past few years. He leads the children in singing Jewish songs and melodies every Friday morning, and we used to love attending as a family before COVID. Rabbi Rachel Simmons recently joined the synagogue and has done a nice job with holding events that young families can attend, from rockin' Shabbat to ice cream socials to Yoga Shabbat.

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.

This is a warm and inviting synagogue. I love the music lead by Hazan Tasat and the choir Kolot…read moreHaLev. The music adds to the spiritual depth of the service. As a "transdenominational," it takes "the best from all the movements." I couldn't ask for more.

I am so excited about our great High Holy Day Services - especially the music and the Teen…read moreservices!!! Check out the website ShiratHaNefesh.org to come! This is a small warm community with a wonderful commitment to spirituality, music, education and involvement. All of our best friends are there - and we meet new friends all the time! I am learning so much about my religion, my self and our wonderful Rabbi Gerry and Hazzan Ramon give us all new insights every week. I sing in the Kolot HaLev Community Choir and we reside with Shirat HaNefesh once a month (except during July and August). I love how we can bring the prayers back to life with both age old arrangements from Vienna and Italy as well as new music written by contemporary composers - including our own Hazzan! It just turns prayer from something obligatory into something transcending. And my kids love it - they are learning so much and creating the most soulful art projects during Saturday school. I love that they can go to their learner's minyan and class while we go to services and we are all together for Shabbat. We're always looking for friendly faces to join us!

Large modern orthodox shul, so many friendly people that I had to take rain checks for multiple…read moreoffers of hospitality on my first weekend there. Four adult minyanim on shabbos to choose from. Rabbi Tessler is very charismatic, warm, effusive. Rabbi Antine is a very inspiring and energetic teacher. Early Childhood Education Center has great reputation. Great shul if you don't mind large.

I have been casually attending MDSC for much of my life. Hearing the Sephardic tunes my grandfather…read moreused to sing is such a beautiful and unique experience. This year I attended to hear the shofar blown on Yom Kippur... it was a beautiful experience and the Chazan did a remarkable job! Will def come back.

Absolutely amazing community! Very warm and inviting, the building is gorgeous yet very spiritual…read moreand cozy. uplifting prayer and beautiful prayers/tunes. And a great and complimentary Kiddush community lunch following services.