About the Counting of the Omer The Omer is a period of counting that spans the 49 days (7 weeks) between the holidays of Passover and Shavuot. The name – Omer – refers to an ancient measure of grain which was brought as an offering to the Temple in Jerusalem on the second day of Continue Reading »
Thank you to everyone who participated in over 20 Discovery Circles over the past several weeks. If you weren’t able to participate, we encourage you to share ideas or ask questions by emailing the Transition Committee directly at transition@templemicah.org. We are still in the early stages of our transition and there will be many opportunities Continue Reading »
New exhibit explores race-based exclusion in upper northwest DC Undesign the Redline is not about the Metro; it’s an interactive exhibit that explores the history of race-based exclusion from DC neighborhoods. The exhibit explores the history of redlining — the explicit devaluation of residential areas based on race — in upper Northwest DC and helps us Continue Reading »
Dear Friends, I wanted to share with you this letter from T’ruah: Rabbis for Human Rights to President Biden about the current situation in Israel. I am honored to currently serve as chairman of the T’ruah Board of Directors. For more information on T’ruah, please see truah.org. Shalom, Rabbi Daniel G. Zemel March 2024 President Joe Biden The Continue Reading »
Friendship Place, the recipient of our annual fall Underwear Drive, has just let us know they are out of t-shirts, a very important item for our neighbors experiencing homelessness. All the tees that we collected in October have been claimed by appreciative consumers! As part of our partnership with Friendship Place, please help us collect T-shirts Continue Reading »
We would like to share the statement on Israel issued on December 14, 2023 by T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. T’ruah is an inter-denominational Jewish organization that strives to bring the Torah’s ideals of human dignity, equality, and justice to life by empowering rabbis and cantors to be moral voices and to lead their communities in Continue Reading »
Friends, On Sunday, January 28, 2024, our special Ask-the-Rabbi session addressed Israel and the ongoing war in Gaza (you can watch the recording below). We received many questions in advance of the session, some of which were answered and some of which were not. In the spirit of transparency, and of our Roadmap which guides Continue Reading »
By Rielle Miller Gabriel, Temple Micah President We are blessed as Jews to have multiple opportunities throughout the year to celebrate a new start. My family’s favorite of the four Jewish New Years is this season’s Tu B’shevat. Each year we hold a Tu B’shevat seder, moving through the four seasons via representative food, and Continue Reading »
By David Gregory Throughout my career, as a journalist who also happens to be Jewish, I have faced occasional personal conflicts when covering issues related to Israel. Although I am not actively covering the painful events today, I recognize the unique emotion of this story for Jews who are. And as journalists, today we are Continue Reading »
By Rabbi Daniel G. Zemel I am regularly asked, most often by young rabbis at other congregations, to articulate what I think an American synagogue should be. Do I have a theory that drives my actions? What has been my guiding principle as I helped to shape Temple Micah into the congregation that it is? Continue Reading »
Over the last more than twenty years, our Temple Micah Israel Fund has donated to a wide range of causes and organizations. These include support for the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism, institutions devoted to shared society among Jews, Muslims, and Christians in Israel, and organizations that seek to mitigate the harmful effects of the Continue Reading »
Due to inclement weather, all in person Machon Micah and R2B classes have been cancelled today, January 16th. ALL online tutoring for E-vrit will continue today as scheduled. Machon Micah will resume in person on Sunday, January 21st.
There is no congregation in North America that is more in tune with and influenced by the work of Rabbi Larry Hoffman than Temple Micah and very few have had as great an impact on modern Jewish worship, theology, and life than this great scholar. A brand new book honoring his legacy has just been Continue Reading »
January 10, 2024 Dear Friends, With this letter, I am announcing my retirement from my position of senior rabbi at Temple Micah eighteen months from now. In June, 2025, I will complete forty-two years as a rabbi at Micah. In that time, my life has been enriched beyond anything I could have possibly imagined, helping Continue Reading »
Celebrating Temple Micah’s 60th Anniversary 60 years ago Temple Micah, originally Southwest Hebrew Congregation, was officially incorporated as a religious non-profit in the District of Columbia on August 6, 1963. We’d like to sincerely thank each and every person who has made us who we are today. We know the next 60 years (and beyond!) Continue Reading »
By Rabbi Stephanie Crawley It is a lonely time to be a liberal Zionist in America. I know many of you feel abandoned: friends outside the Jewish community deciding they deserve an opinion on the fate of your people, wading into a conflict from the comfort of their living rooms. A broader Jewish community that Continue Reading »
By Rabbi Daniel G. Zemel I am as sad as I have ever been in my life. While driving to Micah this morning, I started crying. As I pulled to the side of the road, I found myself flashing through Jewish history, our tragedies and our triumphs. I considered the Khmelnitsky massacre of Jews in Continue Reading »