Dear Friends:
I would be remiss if I did not start this note with sincere thanks to everyone who made this past Sunday’s wonderful concert a reality. The sanctuary saw more people than it has seen in quite some time, the music was beautiful, spirits were high, and a nice amount of money was raised for our kehila. Special thanks to David Markowitz who was the catalyst for the concert, and to the Events Committee under the leadership of Dee Jolles and the reception committee headed by Deb Finch. A debt of gratitude to our performers who volunteered their time and talents.
We will be celebrating Purim in person in our shul for the first time since 2020. Services will begin Saturday night at 8 pm with Havdalah, followed by the weekday Ma’ariv service and the chanting of the Megillah in Hebrew and English. Light refreshments will follow and I anticipate we will finish some time between 9:30 and 10. The service will also be available on Zoom if you cannot join us in person. Special thanks to Hazzan Komrad who will be with us and chant several chapters of the Megillah in English using the traditional cantillation. If you are on Zoom you can follow the reading at https://opensiddur.org/readings-and-sourcetexts/mekorot/tanakh/ketuvim/hamesh-megillot/esther/seder-megillat-esther-for-purim/
Sunday morning we will be joining our friends at Tikvat Israel for morning services at 8:15 a.m. (the service starts this early to account for the Torah reading as well as the Megillah.) The service will be available on Zoom at: (please email me for the link). Please note that this is not our regular Zoom link,
As a reminder, I am having drop-in hours on Thursday afternoons from 2 to 4 at the shul. You do not need to make an appointment -- that would negate the whole point of drop-in hours -- but I’d urge you to check and make sure I am there regardless as sometimes there are unavoidable pastoral or other emergencies which might take me away from the building.
As always, if I can do anything for you or you need to talk, please contact me at rabbi@kehilatshalom.org or 301-977-0768 rather than through the synagogue office. I am happy to meet you at the synagogue by appointment. I have been spending more time in the synagogue recently but if you want to speak with me it’s best to make an appointment rather than assuming I will be there when you stop by.
Additionally, if you know of a Kehilat Shalom congregant or another member of our Jewish community who could use a phone call, please let me know.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Charles L. Arian