Life at Kesher
We are excited to welcome you to the Kesher community. We come together not just to pray and learn, but as a pillar of support for both the highs and lows of our members' lives. Below you’ll find some common ways we engage in life cycle events, and please reach out to us if we can be of support in other ways as well.
Illness
If you or a loved one become ill or homebound, Kesher volunteers are available to provide assistance. Please email chesed@kesher.org with any needs.
Other local resources:
- Bikur Cholim of Greater Washington - BCGW supports patients and their families with food deliveries, social support, transportation assistance, and more. Email: info@bikurcholimgw.org
- imadi - imadi supports families in the Greater Washington area who have a child diagnosed with a chronic illness or genetic condition, with case management and programming. Email: office@imadi.org
Celebrations
Announcing a Simcha
If you would like to announce the simcha of a Kesher Israel member, such as an engagement, aufruf, birthday, anniversary, yartzeit, or any other personal or professional achievement in the weekly announcements, please email announcements@kesher.org.
You can find current and previous SAPs on our website at kesher.org/sap. Have something to share in the SAP or the Tuesday Weekly Digest? Email announcements@kesher.org by 5 PM Wednesday (SAP) or by 5 PM Sunday (Digest). Please note, recognition of simchot in the SAP is limited to Kesher Israel members. To learn more about becoming a member, visit kesher.org/membership.
Welcoming a New Baby
Mazal tov on your new addition! Please email mazaltov@kesher.org so we can share the news. We can also coordinate meals from the community as you welcome your little one, help you plan a bris, simchat bat, or pidyon ha-ben, and connect you with the Gabbai team to say Birkat HaGomel, the prayer recited during Torah reading by one who has recently survived a dangerous situation, including childbirth.
A few local mohelim include:
Rabbi Avraham Rappaport
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Rabbi Dr. Avi Z. Rosenberg MD, PhD
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| Rabbi Henesch (Baltimore) (410) 340-8130 |
Weddings
If you would like to celebrate your upcoming wedding with an at Kesher, please email mazaltov@kesher.org.
Rabbi Shafner is happy to meet with all couples contemplating marriage and will discuss opportunities for Kesher involvement, whether the wedding is local or elsewhere.
We can also celebrate with an afruf, and can discuss when you would like to have it and what you would like it to include. The aufruf can include aliyot and a misheberach (special blessing) for the couple, and you and/or your relatives and friends may also want to read Torah, read haftarah, have an aliyah, give a Dvar Torah, or lead services, all of which the Gabbai Committee will help you arrange.
And if you would like to sponsor kiddush in honor of your aufruf, please email the office at info@kesher.org.
Sponsoring Kiddush
If you would like to sponsor a kiddush in honor of a special event, contact the shul office at info@kesher.org. More information can be found here https://www.kesher.org/sponsor
Having an Aliyah
If you would like to have an aliyah to mark a special event, email the Gabbai Committee at gabbai@kesher.org
Bar/Bat Mitzvahs
If you are interested in having a Bar or Bat Mitzvah at Kesher, email Rabbi Shafner at rabbi@kesher.org
Grieving
When a Kesher Israel member experiences a loss (of a spouse, parent, sibling, or child), Kesher can help coordinate support in a variety of ways throughout the mourning period. If you or someone you know has suffered a loss, please email bereavement@kesher.org.
We support a mourner in a variety of ways:
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Notifying the community about the funeral, shiva, and opportunities for supporting the mourner
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Coordinating shiva minyanim, including finding gabbais, daveners, and leyners and providing siddurim and a torah as needed.
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Coordinating food and other things that would be helpful during shiva.
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Coordinating meals for the post-shiva period.
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Rabbi Shafner is available to discuss the halachot of mourning, including kaddish and planning for the first yahrzeit.
The Chevra Kadisha of Greater Washington provides information on burial arrangements, local funeral homes, Jewish funeral practices, and more. Kesher has several cemeteries, one on Southern Avenue in the District of Columbia and a section at Judean Gardens in Maryland. Contact Rabbi Shafner and Board Trustee Michael Sherman with questions regarding the cemeteries.
Memorial Plaque
Nameplates or plaques are inscribed with the English and Hebrew names of the departed along with the date of death in both the standard and Hebrew calendar. Beside each plaque is a memorial light, which is lit annually on the Yahrzeit and Yizkor services. At Kesher, the plaques are located on our Sanctuary walls. The Ritual Committee keeps the lights lit in observance of yarhzeits and holidays. You can place an order for a plaque here.
Thu, December 5 2024
4 Kislev 5785
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