This review is about the classes at Jewish ROC, not about services. I haven't attended any…read morereligious services here. I went here because there was an ad in the Post for Kabbalah classes. I took a Kabbalah 101 seminar that was fascinating. This is not Madonna's Kabbalah. It was a 6 hour seminar on a Sunday. I am Jewish, and it is important to me that this class is taught by a rabbi. There were people in the class who are not Jewish, and it is not necessary to be a Jew to take the class. Rabbi Benamou has an amazing intellect and teaches the history with dates and names, never looking at a note. He is passionate about the history of the transmission of the Torah to the Jews, as well as the significance of the Oral law and how it was passed through generations. I could go on about the rest of the teaching, but the most important thing is, that if you are curious about Kabbalah regarding death, reincarnation, resurrection, heaven, hell.....etc., these questions get quite specifically answered. I went on to take the Kabbalah 102 class. It was the first time the Rabbi presented 102 as a seminar. We got carried away with the prophets and sages, and had to come back a second time to finish the seminar. I didn't mind and I'm still impressed enough to consider taking other classes.

Rabbi Benamou is an amazing Rabbi who relates in a meaningful way to Reformed and unaffiliated…read moreJewish people in all stages of personal growth. His Kabbalah classes are life changing. He started studying Kabbalah when he was 8 years old In Israel. His wife Ruthie also teaches Hebrew in a way that even I could understand. I feel like family when I go to Friday night dinner and Shabbos lunch that he has every week and is open and free to all. I have made many friends as well because they made me feel so welcome even though I didn't know anyone when I started attending classes and when I have the opportunity to go on Shabbos or holidays. Five amazing stars!

A wonderful Congregation. Two great Rabbis, two cantorial soloists. One is the founder of the…read morewell known Klezmer group Lox and Vodka. Reform Congregation and very inclusive. There are many mixed marraige families who attend and all feel comfortable.

So much of our time in secular Washington DC is consumed in the accumulation of visible…read moreachievements, and it's by those externalities that we are judged and measured. How we make a living, our financial and professional rank, how many boards we sit on, what we've published, where we live, where our kids go to school, where we vacation, and on and on--these are the externalities that largely govern the relationships we form. We go to Tifereth Israel to lay down those embellishments, and be more truly ourselves, in the company of people who have embraced lives of meaning and engagement. Simply show up to morning services (even if you don't care for services, just be patient and hang there a couple of times), and then stay for the Kiddush and talk and listen to people. You do that often enough, then you'll notice over time that you've begun to form deep, lasting, values-driven, and authentic relationships that sustain and nourish you in a way that you rarely, if ever, find in the secular world. Yes, Tifereth Israel checks the other boxes: the rabbi is phenomenally talented, services are mostly lay-led and intellectually challenging, the congregation is extremely LGBTQ-friendly, there are several active social-action initiatives, it's got a ton of young families with children, and a vibrant education program serves kids and adults. But the main asset at TI that you can't have anywhere else? It's the people.

Conservative. Very…read morefriendly and inviting. Medium sized. Simpler (less jappy) than other DC shuls.

I went to nursery school and Hebrew school at Har Shalom. I was Bar Mitzvahed here…read more I love our building. It is truly beautiful. Our sanctuaries and social hall are amazing. Our community has always been a very welcoming place. One Yelper Ana wrote about concerns about Rabbi Raskin. I share her concerns. The Rabi does not like to meet with people regardless of whether or not they're of his faith. I was in an awful car accident, through the fault of another driver, and am truly blessed to be alive, The Rabbi did not return my calls and would not meet with me in my home as I recovered despite my attempts to contact him. He finally called when I left a message for somebody else telling them how disappointed I was. The rabbi still would not meet with me despite my home being less than a mile from our synagogue and walkable for any healthy person. This was well before Corona. Months later, it is easily walkable for me. Why would I want to meet with such a clergyman? I saw an Orthodox Jew wearing a Yamika on the street and he gladly said the Mishaberach with me, when my Rabbi would not. I hope this review motivates the Rabbi to change the way he does his job for the good of our synagogue community.

Our family has had such an overwhelmingly positive experience at the Sherman Early Childhood Center…read moreand Congregation Har Shalom over the past few years. We feel so very fortunate to have found this beautiful place and could not recommend this unique community more highly to other families. The Sherman ECC at Har Shalom: We did a lot of research into the various preschool options in the Potomac-Rockville-Bethesda area before we found the Sherman ECC. This preschool is a magical place, a life-changing experience for your family and your child. We feel such an overwhelming amount of gratitude to the extraordinary teachers at the Sherman ECC for their dedication to our children. Beth Hoch is the Director of the Sherman ECC and she is simply spectacular. Beth has a genuine gift for educating young children and interacting with families. We interviewed dozens of preschool directors when we were researching the preschools in the area, and Beth truly stood out as someone inherently gifted in her role as Director of the ECC. Congregation Har Shalom: After joining the Sherman ECC, we started attending community events and prayer services at the Har Shalom synagogue. We had the same fabulous experience at the synagogue. Rabbi Adam Raskin fosters a true sense of community and friendship throughout the synagogue and his sermons are genuinely interesting and accessible to people at all levels of religious observance. He is also very approachable: the kids run up to him during services for a chocolate or many chocolates, he walks around shaking hands with congregants, and he also visits with everyone individually after prayer services. The prayer services and other community events are often also led by Cantor Henrique Ozur Bass, another spectacular member of the Har Shalom clergy. Cantor Ozur Bass is extremely approachable, supportive, kind, friendly and funny. It has been such an absolute pleasure to participate in his prayer services over the past few years. He leads the children in singing Jewish songs and melodies every Friday morning, and we used to love attending as a family before COVID. Rabbi Rachel Simmons recently joined the synagogue and has done a nice job with holding events that young families can attend, from rockin' Shabbat to ice cream socials to Yoga Shabbat.

A wonderful shul with a great community. The Rabbi and Rebbitzen Wolwovsky are the nicest people…read morethat will go out of their way for anyone for anything. The community is small and very warm and welcoming. Their high points are of course the wonderful children's programs for kids of all ages. So if you're in the area would highly recommend that You stop on by.

Machar is my home! After being schooled in Reform Judaism, saying words I didn't really believe in,…read moreI found myself in a congregation that not only respects a variety of views, but also encourages logical thinking-- all in the pursuit of our common goals: to make sense of our place on earth so that we can do tikkan olum , we can repair the world and have fun at the same time. Machar is my home!

My wife and I joined Machar because we want our daughters to experience Jewish life, but we are not…read morecomfortable with a lot of the traditional theistic prayers. Machar's perfect for us, and the new rabbi, Nehama Benmosche, is energetic, thoughtful, and great with kids. (Full disclosure: I was until recently a board member of Machar.)

I went here for High Holy Services since I was in Maryland for that this year and what a great…read morechoice!! The Cantor is honestly angelic in both appearance and voice. The Rabbi is so warm and friendly, I spoke to him on the phone for about 10 minutes before I came to pick up my tickets. The whole congregation was so warm and inviting, if I was living in the area permanently (and living closer as Gaithersburg is quite schlep) I would definitely consider membership here. Just a really great community! I am so glad I was able to spend some time here and wish I could pack the Rabbi & Cantor and take them back with me.

I am the congregation's rabbi, so,, yes, I recommend it! If you're looking for a welcoming shul,…read morecheck us out.

Tried to get in touch with the rabbi from MT and the…read more crickets are still chirping...that was last year. Subsequently, I emailed, left phone messages asking for any person to return my email or call so that I could find out more information about joining the congregation and yep, crickets. It is appalling and disturbing to know a place of worship is ignoring a possible new member. What is wrong with this place? A phantom congregation? If you want to join Mishkan Torah I would say stay away and go elsewhere. Do not waste your time nor energy. Silver Spring has better and receptive places.