Welcome to the Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation

Adat Shalom provides Washington-area Jews of all ages and backgrounds an opportunity to experience Jewish thought, ritual and culture in a vibrant and progressive community. Our goal is to provide our members with the tools and opportunities to locate their own personal relationship to Jewish tradition. Our statement of principles expresses it well, "Adat Shalom supports a lifelong exploration for "ba'alei she'elah: Jews with questions."

Adat Shalom offers each member a meaningful place within a vibrant and caring community. It is a major part of the social network of many of its members, a place where deep friendships are formed, where members turn to celebrate joyous occasions and to be supported when they are in need.

Adat Shalom is a community that:

• welcomes - and indeed thrives on - the diversity of its members,
• strongly encourages member involvement,
• relies on its lay members in defining and implementing communal policies and practices,
• supports the spiritual journey of its members and encourages their growth as Jews,
• assesses whether it is living up to its core values, and
• maintains an openness to continuously review and refine the spiritual and communal aspects of its services and programs.

We welcome you to come under our tent. Join us for Shabbat morning services at our beautiful new building in Bethesda where you will find a tranquil, reflective and restorative makom - a place of holiness that is rare and treasured by all.

Upcoming Events Friday, November 19 Shabbat Slam Sunday, November 21 Synagogue University 10:30am-2:00pm Satuday, December 4, 8:00 p.m. Stop the Genocide: Drumming and Voices for Peace and Justice in Darfur, Sudan

High Holidays 5765 Thanks for joining us for the High Holidays this year. The following sermons and other materials are available below: Erev Rosh Hashanah: "The Messiah, The Security Barrier, And The Courts: The View from Israel" Rabbi George Rosh Hashanah: "No One is an Island" Rabbi Fred Yom Kippur"Precious Souls" Rabbi Sid

Adat Shalom in the News Adat Shalom adopts Resolution on Genocide in Sudan Sid Schwarz's December 2003 Israel Mission, a personal view. "Adat Shalom melds Judaism, Science," November 27, 2003, Washington Jewish Week Storahtelling for Rosh Hashana in Washington Jewish Week Rabbi Fred and the "green synagogue world" Visit JRF TorahQuest site and see Adat Shalom 6th and 7th Graders Receive Humash, Study Torah and Create their Commentaries Read about the "Israel Connection" in Washington Jewish Week Adat Shalom congregants interviewed about Mi Shebeirach, the Prayer of Healing, on All Things Considered. Adat Shalom wins 2002 ENERGY STAR® Award for Congregations from EPA Region 3. Rabbi Fred on participating in the Israel Solidarity Rally, April 2002 On January 29, 2002, Rahel Liel, Director of the Shatil projects in Israel, spoke at Adat Shalom on Intifada on a Personal Level: Effect on Friendships and Working Relations Between Israeli Jews and Arabs Check out the article on Shabbat Slam in Washington Jewish Week and then come register to join us next time. Listen to Rabbi Fred's comments on a national movement to connect Hanukah, the festival of lights, to energy conservation on This Week in Real Audio or MP3.

Check Us Out

West Bethesda, MD

• Who We Are
• Lech-Lecha: An Introduction to Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation
  • History
  • Building Architecture
  • Judaic Aesthetics
  • Torah Covers
• Coming Events
• Adult Education February-March 2004
• Community Life Committees, Groups, Programs
• High Holy Days 2004

Shabbat Slam

Reconstructionism in Practice

Adat Shalom's practice of applying Reconstructionism can be seen in many materials:

• Statement of Principles Our core document; updated June 2, 2002

Services

• Guide to Adat Shalom Shabbat Morning Service
• A Guide To The Perplexed Shul-Goer Cantor Rachel
• Honors Rabbi George
• Miss Shul Manners A look at other practices

Welcomeness

• Interfaith Participation Guidelines
• Adat Shalom Welcomes All Jews, Regardless of Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity

Congregational life as guided by Reconstructionist principles can be found in the following guidelines adopted by Adat Shalom

• Shabbat Guidelines
• Tzedakah Guidelines
• Gemilut Chesed Guidelines
• Tikkun Olam Guidelines
• Avodah Guidelines
• Communal Food Guidelines
• Funeral and Mourning Practices

The Rabbinical Word

• From our Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb
• From Rabbi George George Driesen
• From our Founding Rabbi Sidney Schwarz
• Adat Shalom Remembers Rabbi Ira Eisenstein

Education

• Torah School Home Page
• Adult Education programs
• Bar and Bat Mitzvah Guidelines

Other Materials

• Holiday Celebrations
• D'var Torah and D'var Chinuch
• Reconstructionism Reading Lists
• Policies for the New Building
• Constructing Reconstructionism: Theology Expressed in Architecture at Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Synagogue in Bethesda, Maryland, a paper by Laura Hartman

MEMBERS ONLY

• Social Action Survey
• Annual Retreat
• The Virtual Oneg: Suggestions for Oneg Hosts
• Adat Shalom Members E-mail List instructions. Information on how to join the list, as well as change your subscription to the digest version and back, etc.

Our newsletter, the Adat Shalom Scroll: October 2004 Issue

For more information, call (301) 767-3333, or email our Executive Director. If you have comments on our Web Site, please send them to our webmaster.

We are an affiliate of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation and part of the Chesapeake Region of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation (CRJRF).

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