Bet Mishpachah: What We Do

<BODY BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" LINK="#000000" VLINK="#000000" ALINK="#000000"> <CENTER><TABLE><TR><TD WIDTH=20% VALIGN="TOP"> <A NAME="top"> <P> <B><a href="http://betmish.org/text/do.html">Text-Only Version</a></B> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/index.html">Home</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/whatsnew.html">What's New</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/calendar.html#July4">Coming Events</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/drashot.html">D'rashot</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/do.html">What We Do</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/who.html">Who We Are</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/contact.html">Contact Us</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/faq.html">Frequently Asked Questions</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/archives.html">Archives</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/links.html">Links</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/member.html">Membership</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/credits.html">Credits</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/addbook.html">Guest book</A></B></BIG> </FONT></TD> <TD ALIGN=CENTER VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="80%><CENTER>    <table border="0" align="center"> <tr> <td align="center"> <a href="http://betmish.org/index.html" target="_top"><IMG border=0 src="http://betmish.org/images/banner2.gif" align=center height="104" width="512" hspace=5 alt="Bet Mishpachah banner"></a> </td> <td align="left"> <font size="-5"><a href="http://betmish.org/child/descriptions/banner.html">Banner<br>Description</a></font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center"> <p><font size="-1"><i>Washington, DC's Egalitarian Synagogue</i><br> <i>Embracing a Diversity of Sexual and Gender Identities</i></font> </p> <p> <b><font face="Arial"><font size="+1">Rabbi Bob Saks<br> </font></font></b><br> <font face="Arial"><font size="-1"><i>Founded in 1975 by Members of the GLBT Community<font color="white" size="-4"> </font></i></font></font></p> </td> <td align="left"> <font size="-4" color="white"> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </center> <h1 align=center>What We Do</h1> <h2>Religious Affairs</h2> <UL><LI>Shabbat <nobr>services --</nobr> Bet Mishpachah holds Shabbat services at 8:30 pm every Friday and at 10:00 am on the second and fourth Saturdays of every month. Friday night services on the third Friday of each month are Sign-Language interpreted upon request.<P></LI> <LI><a href="hhd.html">High Holy <nobr>Days</a> --</nobr> The High Holy Days Committee plans all aspects of the congregation's High Holy Day services.<P></LI> <LI><a href="festivalholiday.html">Festival and Holiday <nobr>celebrations</a> --</nobr> Bet Mishpachah conducts services on such festivals and holidays as Sukkot, Simchat Torah, Chanuka, Purim, and Passover<P></LI> <LI><a href="artdesign.html">Art and Design <nobr>Committee</a> --</nobr> makes recommendations to the Board of Directors on the selection, design, and/or production of ritual objects and other issues relating to the aesthetic integrity of the synagogue<P></LI> <LI><a href="liturgy.html">Liturgy <nobr>Committee</a> --</nobr> develops services for Bet Mishpachah. Bet Mishpachah has published its own Shabbat and High Holy Day prayer books.<P></LI> <LI><a href="religiousaffairs.html">Religious Affairs <nobr>Committee</a> --</nobr> addresses issues pertaining to religious policy and practice and the spiritual direction of the synagogue. <P></LI> <LI><a href="serviceleader.html">Service Leader <nobr>Development</a> --</nobr> Bet Mishpachah's services are largely lay led; occasional workshops are conducted to train new service leaders<P></LI> <LI><a href="choir.html">Tachshitim <nobr>(Choir)</a> --</nobr> Their singing enhances the beauty of selected Bet Mishpachah services.<P></LI> </UL> <h2>Congregational Programs</h2> <UL> <LI><nobr><a href="chavurot.html">Chavurot</a> --</nobr> offers neighborhood programming for suburban members<P></LI> <LI><a href="education.html">Jewish <nobr>Education</a> --</nobr> plans innovative courses, workshops, and special events<P></LI> <li><a href="men.html">Men's Programming</a> -- Plans activities that are of specific interest but not limited to men.<p></li> <LI><a href="socialprogramming.html">Social <nobr>Programming</a> --</nobr> arranges for members of the congregation to gather together for social and cultural activities<P></LI> <LI><a href="women.html">Women's <nobr>Program</a> --</nobr> held before services on the first Friday of every month<P></LI></ul> <h2>Activities Relating to Our Congregational Community</h2> <UL><LI><a href="cbmarchives.html">Archives for Bet Mishpachah</a> is the repository of all that can be accumulated by the board members and interested parties.<P></LI> <LI><a href="bereavement.html">Bereavement Support <nobr>Committee</a> --</nobr> offers assistance to members who experience death in their families.<P></LI> <LI><a href="bikurcholim.html">Bikur Cholim</a> -- assists members of the congregation who are ill.<P></LI> <LI><a href="commcomm.html">Communications <nobr>Committee</a> --</nobr> publishes print and electronic newsletters, administers this website, and promotes the congregation to outside media outlets.<P></LI> <LI><a href="diversity.html">Diversity <nobr>Committee</a> --</nobr> promotes a welcoming and inclusive environment within the congregation.<P></LI> <LI><a href="development.html">Development Committee</a> -- explores fund raising activities for Bet Mishpachah.<P></LI> <LI><a href="finance.html">Finance <nobr>Committee</a> --</nobr> advises the Treasurer on financial issues.<P></LI> <LI><a href="funeral.html">Jewish Funeral Practices Committee of Greater <nobr>Washington</a> --</nobr> Bet Mishpachah is a member of this committee, which promotes funeral practices which are considered Jewish law for Conservative and Orthodox Jews, and which reflect Jewish values regardless of denomination, for Reform, Reconstructionist, and independent communities.<P></LI> <LI><a href="ldor.html">L'Dor va-Dor <nobr>Committee</a> --</nobr> Addresses needs of long-time and founding members.<P></LI> <LI><a href="lifecycle.html">Life Cycle Events <nobr>Committee</a> --</nobr> Life cycle events at Bet Mishpachah include baby namings, bar and bat mitzva, and kiddushin.<P></LI> <LI><a href="membership.html">Membership <nobr>Committee</a> --</nobr> serves as advocate for congregants and guests.<P></LI> <LI><a href="onegs.html">Onegs and Kiddushes</a> -- Shabbat Services are followed by a social hour with refreshments provided by congregational sponsors<P></LI></UL> <h2>Activities Relating to the Outside Community</h2> <UL> <li><a href="spirit.html">Celebration of the Spirit <nobr>Coalition</a> --</nobr> Bet Mishpachah is a member of this organization, which brings together a broad spectrum of faith communities made up of or supporting gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people.<P></li> <LI><a href="commcomm.html">Communications <nobr>Committee</a> --</nobr> publishes print and electronic newsletters, administers this website, and promotes the congregation to outside media outlets.<P></LI> <LI><a href="socialaction.html">Social Action <nobr>Committee</a> --</nobr> helps carry on the congregation's mission of <i>tikkun olam</i>--repairing the world<P></LI> <LI><a href="speakers.html">Speakers' <nobr>Bureau</a> --</nobr> participants talk to mostly small groups about being gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered and Jewish.<P></LI> <LI><a href="wcglbtjo.html">World Congress of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Jewish <nobr>Organizations</a> --</nobr> Bet Mishpachah is a member of the umbrella organization linking Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) Jews all over the world.<P></LI> </UL> <h2>Our Funds</h2> <UL><LI><A HREF="fund.html#operating">Operating Fund</A><P></LI> <LI><A HREF="fund.html#housing">Housing Fund</A><P></LI> <LI><A HREF="fund.html#ritual">Ritual Objects Fund</A><P></LI> <LI><A HREF="fund.html#special">David Green Memorial Special Projects Fund</A><P></LI> <LI><A HREF="fund.html#kopley">Richard A. Kopley Memorial Emergency Assistance Fund</A><P></LI> <LI><A HREF="fund.html#krampf">Richard Krampf Memorial Social Action Fund</A><P></LI> <LI><A HREF="fund.html#goldfarb">Mark Goldfarb Accessibility Fund</A><P></LI> <LI><A HREF="fund.html#rabbis">Rabbi Saks Discretionary Fund.</A></LI></UL> <P>For details on current activities which may be of interest to you, click <a href="http://betmish.org/calendar.html#July4">here</a>, consult our monthly newsletter, or call us at (202) 833-1686.  To volunteer for any of our activities, you can click <a href="participation.html">here</a> for a form you can submit over the Internet, or <a href="textpart.html">here</a> for a form you can print out and submit via postal mail. </TD></TR></TABLE></CENTER> <P><HR> <p align="center"><FONT face=Arial><small><small><b>For a description of any of the graphics on this page, click on the D next to the graphic. <BR>For more information, contact our office at <a href="mailto:office@betmishpachah.org?SUBJECT=Request for Information from Web Site">office@betmishpachah.org</a><br> Send comments about this site to <a href="mailto:webweaver@betmishpachah.org?SUBJECT=Comments About Web Site">webweaver@betmishpachah.org</a>.<br> Copyright 1996 - 2009 Bet Mishpachah.</b></small></small></FONT> <CENTER><font face=Arial size="-1" color="#999999"><small><small><P><b>This page last modified on Wednesday, December 8, 2004 at 09:56 PM EST.</b></small></small></font> </CENTER> </body>