Holiday Celebrations

In Israel, Shemini Atzeret (the Eighth Day of Assembly) and Simhat Torah—the 8th and 9th days of Sukkot—are celebrated as a single holiday. Outside of Israel, the two days are separated, and their moods could not be more different. Shemini Atzeret is a serious moment when we recite Tefillat Geshem, the traditional prayer for rain in Israel, and the Yizkor memorial prayers. And then in the evening, we shift to joyous singing and dancing to celebrate the conclusion of our annual cycle of reading the Torah.

At B’nai Israel, each of these holidays brings hundreds of individuals for reflection and joy. In addition to singing and dancing with the Torah scrolls on Simhat Torah evening, we unroll the entire Torah so that we can visualize every letter and word of our most sacred text—this is always a popular event! On Simhat Torah morning, we honor every member of the congregation with an aliyah, a commitment that requires numerous reading stations to accommodate everyone. We also honor the commitment of two members to the congregation with the honors of Hatan/Kallat Torah and Hatan/Kallat Breishit, the last readings of Deuteronomy and first reading of Genesis respectively.

Shemini Atzeret & Simhat Torah service times

Monday, October 13 - Erev Shemini Atzeret
8:00 PM Festival Evening Service

Tuesday, October 14 - Shemini Atzeret & Erev Simhat Torah
9:00 AM Festival Morning Service
10:45 AM Yizkor (approximately)
11:00 AM Youth Visit (Grades K - 6) to the Cohen-Rosen House (meet in the B'nai Israel lobby at 10:45 AM)
12:30 PM Festival Minha
6:00 PM Simhat Torah BBQ Dinner
6:30 PM Simhat Torah for Tots
7:00 PM Festival Evening Service and Hakafot

Wednesday, October 15 - Simhat Torah
9:00 AM Festival Morning Service
1:30 PM Festival Minha
8:00 PM Ma'ariv

kallat Torah, Hatan Breishit & Maftir

During Simhat Torah services on Wednesday, October 15, it is customary for every member of the congregation to receive an aliyah. The honors of Kallat Torah, the last aliyah of Deuteronomy; Hatan Breishit, the first aliyah in Genesis; and Maftir are assigned by our Ritual Committee to recognize significant contributions to the ritual life of our synagogue. Mazal tov to Sylvia Rosenthal, Eric Luftman, and Billy Oshinsky on receiving those honors this year.

sylvia Rosenthal, Kallat Torah

I am deeply grateful to be honored by my B’nai Israel family. B’nai Israel has been a part of my life since I moved to the Washington area in 1953. It has been a part of my husband Irwin’s life since he was born, because his grandparents were founding members of the congregation.
 
B’nai Israel has been there for us in good times and bad: the naming of our daughter; religious school education and the weddings of our son and daughter; the naming of our granddaughters; and with the loss of our parents, the comfort and compassion of the clergy and support of the daily minyan has been invaluable.

The Cultural Zionist thinker Ahad Ha’am is credited with saying, “More than Israel has kept the Sabbath; the Sabbath has kept Israel.” I say: more than B’nai Israel has sustained the minyan, the minyan has sustained B’nai Israel.

Although I began attending the minyan to say Kaddish, I found much more. For those who attend regularly, it’s like a close-knit family that shares the joys, laughter, warmth, and challenges of our everyday lives. The care and concern for one another is amazing. I am grateful for friendships that have deepened over time.

My most rewarding moments come from preparing the birthday celebrations for the “minyanaires.” The smiles and camaraderie are priceless. I began as “assistant” to Mincy Neil, who originated the birthday celebrations, which means I learned from the best.

At B’nai Israel, I have also served on the Inclusion committee and am a passionate advocate for an accessibility. A blind colleague of mine used to call those of us without disabilities, the “temporarily abled.” I now appreciate how right she was. With a severe hearing loss, I benefit from the ListenWiFi app in the sanctuary and appreciate all the other accommodations that are part of the B’nai Israel culture. 

I look forward to sharing the joy of Simhat Torah with all the honorees. 

I invite you also to join my family on the following Shabbat (October 18), when my husband will celebrate the 79th anniversary of his bar mitzvah, which was celebrated at B’nai Israel’s first permanent building on 14th and Emerson Streets.

eric luftman, hatan breishit

How does anyone choose a synagogue from among the seemingly endless options? For my wife Elise and myself, the choice was largely made by our then-four-year-old daughter Gavriel. 
 
Elise and I had settled in Rockville in 1995, after a State Department Foreign Service assignment together in Vietnam. We remained unaffiliated for several years.  But when Gavi came along, we decided it was time to join a synagogue.  

During our “shul-shopping period” in 2000, we happened upon a Friday night service and enjoyed watching Rabbi Allen Selis’s son David — about the same age as Gavi — trying to help his dad lead the service. Elise and I were amused; Gavi seemed fascinated. She and David quickly became friends, and it became obvious that we should join B’nai Israel. 

In 2002, we adopted our daughter Sarit in China. We were under immense time pressure to bring Sarit to the mikvah before our next assignment in Nicaragua, and Rabbi Schnitzer handled the arrangements for us with his supreme warmth and leadership. Accompanying him as witnesses were Rabbi Selis and Rabbi Safra. It was Rabbi Selis’s last rabbinic function with B’nai and one of Rabbi Safra’s first as his successor. 
 
Over the next ten years we alternated between overseas tours and Washington. B’nai Israel was always there as an anchor, and Friday nights at B’nai became our routine.As Gavi approached bat mitzvah age, we learned that we had been assigned to a tour in Bosnia, with a mandatory departure several months before her scheduled date. She was able to switch to a June date and a new haftarah, thanks to the flexibility of Cantor Togut z”l and Cantor Josh. 
 
When I retired in 2016, I found that I now had more time to participate in synagogue activities, and to follow my interests in Jewish learning. I began attending Rabbi Berkowitz’s Talmud classes, Rabbi Schnitzer’s monthly lunch-and-learns, the Shabbat Torah study group, and many other Adult Education courses. I also began accepting more opportunities to read from the Torah and Haftarah on Shabbat, and from Megillat Esther on Purim. 
 
I eventually joined the Adult Education Committee and took on the role of committee chair. I have enjoyed working with the other members of the committee and greatly appreciate Rabbi Berkowitz’s energetic involvement. I have also enjoyed moderating certain panel discussions, teaching a class on the Torah of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, and speaking at a Yom HaShoah “Zikaron BaSalon” session last year. 
 
In addition to the Adult Education Committee, I have benefited tremendously from the camaraderie of the Men’s Club, and enjoyed leading a series of their Sunday hikes. I also enjoy helping to bring high-quality speakers to our congregation through the L.I.F.E. Lecture Committee. 
 
With my increasing involvement in B’nai Israel, my sense of belonging — of being part of this extended family — has grown. B’nai Israel has become a second home to me. I thank the congregation for honoring me as Hatan Breishit, and I look forward to continuing to contribute to the life of our community. 

Billy Oshinsky, maftir

My parents joined B’nai Israel Congregation in the late 1930s, and I remember attending in the late 1940’s when it was at 14th and Emerson Streets.  

My father was the chairman of the finance committee that facilitated construction of the 16th and Crittenden Street building, which was completed in 1951. Because of this, I was honored to turn the first shovel of dirt, along with my twin brother, for the construction of the new building. 

My mother, Mary Oshinsky z”l, was president of B’nai Israel Sisterhood between 1942 and 1943. Before my bar mitzvah with Rabbi Henry Segal in 1956, my two sisters were confirmed at the 14th and Emerson Street building.  

Although I was a member of another synagogue, I was honored for many years with the chanting of the haftarah at B’nai Israel on the second day of Sukkot, which coincides with the yahrtzeit for my father, Charles Oshinsky z”l.

I started coming to the B’nai Israel Morning Minyan nineteen years ago when I was saying kaddish for my mother. I was grateful to know there was always a minyan for me to say kaddish. After my mourning period concluded, I continued to attend every weekday morning to ensure that other mourners would feel similarly supported. 

Over time, the minyan has become more. For me, it has become a havurah where everyone is concerned about the well-being of others.  I have learned to chant the morning service, which I now lead on most Monday mornings.  I feel honored when I am given an aliya during the Torah service as well. 

After many years of being teased by a member of the morning minyan for my membership in a different synagogue, I decided to officially join B’nai Israel as a second spiritual home. Even though I still belong to another synagogue, I feel right at home at B’nai, and I am grateful to the congregation for bestowing this honor upon me.