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.
