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.)

A great Mikvah. Rooms are always clean and well-supplied people are incredibly nice and will work…read morewith you even if you're running late Beyond their normal hours. Fee is reasonabrle $20 for a non-member.

I was only there once, but it was incredibly beautiful! I don't remember the suggested donation. It…read morereally was a magnificent mikva and the bathrooms were so clean and nice!

Wonderful facility for Jewish and non-Jewish events alike. Been to a few book talks here (last one…read morewas Jill Biden on her and my wife's birthday), virtual and hybrid events, and numerous services and Jewish events and Shabbats. Don't go as much anymore but it is a great place to go, especially for young Jewish adults. It was originally Adas Israel a century ago (after they moved from what is now the Capital Jewish Museum, then a church, that Abe Pollin turned into Sixth and I a few decades ago. My wife and I actually planned to get married here but decided to switch to Brookside Gardens to give us flexibility due to the pandemic.

I visited this venue for the first time recently to attend an author talk with Kelly Bishop, famous…read morefor her matriarch role in Gilmore Girls. Despite having to go through security, attending this event was seamless; you could tell they were a well-oiled machine. I was quickly through security, scanned my ticket, picked up my book, and found a great seat--although, I don't think there were any bad seats. It's a rather intimate venue, and it seemed like there was a great view from everywhere. It was easy to hear Kelly and her conversant, and it was so cool to have them walk down the aisle right next to me. I did not get a drink, but they do have beverages, including alcoholic ones like White Claw, available to purchase and to bring into the event space.

Great event space for no more than 150 with wonderful staff including the event coordinator. Event…read morecoordinator was very friendly and hospitable accounting all of our needs. I hope I can have/attend more things here!

An organization that does great charitable work and the stained glass windows by Cary and Roton,…read moreCary-Roton Studio (Spencer Road Arts) are fantastic.

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.

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.

This shul is the. BEST! Everyone is super friendly, they have such a supportive community, TONS of…read moreyoung kids & families programming, and the Rabbi is young an in-touch. Seriously happy I joined! Totally recommend for Shabbat and other occasions/programs

I attended this church last weekend and had a pleasant experience with many great believers…read more When I am on travel, I like to visit churches and I am very glad I didn't miss out on Capitol Hill Baptist. Mark Dever unapologetically preaches from the Word of God in a region of the country that is desperate for truth. The music was phenomenal, highlighted by natural acoustics and the voices of many joyful Christians. If you are in the DC area and need a great Church that speaks truth directly from the Bible, I would give this place a visit!

The church service was beautiful, featuring hymns, responsive readings, and expository teaching. It…read moreembodied everything my husband and I had been searching for in a church. However, the community was incredibly unkind. As first-time visitors, we were unsure where to go when we arrived, and no one offered assistance. Despite seeing us looking lost, ushers and other church workers neither greeted us nor helped us find our way. When we finally located the sanctuary and asked about the children's classes, the ushers continued to walk past without speaking, and some looked at us without offering a greeting or welcome. As I walked down the hall, a woman who seemed to be either a church worker or a regular member shoved past me, looked me up and down, and continued on to talk to someone else. During our almost three-hour visit, only three people spoke to us: two ladies who sat near us and one person we happened to know. We are African American, but there were many other African Americans and people of color in attendance, which made the unkindness we experienced even more confusing. This level of unkindness and disregard was something we had never encountered in a church before. It was deeply disappointing to witness such a beautiful and meaningful service, only to see the absence of Christ's love in how the members and workers treated visitors. Despite arriving early and seeing numerous people with "usher" badges, not a single one welcomed us. My hope is that this church, with its beautiful service, learns to demonstrate the love of God they preach about by showing kindness to visitors. Training ushers to greet and welcome newcomers could make a significant difference. We had heard so many wonderful things about this church and were excited to visit. We were hungry for good theological teaching, hymns, and solid Christian fellowship. Instead, we left feeling unwelcome in the community.

I started going to Aish HaTorah of Greater Washington about 15 years ago. I enjoy it because it is…read morea small and friendly learning center that welcomes Jews from all backgrounds - secular, reform, conservative and orthodox. There are regular Shabbat services for Friday nights and Saturdays and classes throughout the week, including on Shabbat for those who don't want to go to the regular services. Everything is beginner friendly, but robust enough for a regular synagogue attendee. Highly recommend, especially for the High Holidays, when they bring in great speakers from around the world.