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Welcome to DC Minyan!

DC Minyan is a traditional egalitarian Jewish community located in Dupont Circle, in the heart of our nation’s capital. We seek to create an environment that will welcome, enrich, and challenge people of all ages, from all backgrounds, and with all levels of familiarity with Jewish texts and ritual. Our hope is that this young community will provide an inviting space for the members of the DC community to share their ideas, their aspirations, and their prayers. As a lay-led community, the Minyan derives its strength and its warmth from you.

On this website, you can find information about our events, how to get more involved, and more! To get more information, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions. If you have additional questions, please email info@dcminyan.org. We look forward to hearing from you!

DC Minyan Statement on Murder of George Floyd

DC Minyan Community,

We are deeply saddened and disturbed by the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. We stand in solidarity with the Black community across the country as well as with Black Jews and Jews of color in our community. We express our commitment to taking the action necessary to eliminate the systemic racism that led to this death and the deaths of many others, including Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, and the racist attitudes that lead to intolerance and injustice. 

As part of that commitment, DC Minyan will empower community members to educate themselves, offer support, and take action. We know that the Jewish community is diverse and people have a variety of different backgrounds and personal relationships with these issues. We have compiled an initial list of articles and general resources as well as resources specific for white members of our community who are looking for authentic ways to engage in anti-racism work. We encourage everyone to explore what is included. We hope that by doing this work we can make DC Minyan more welcoming to all our members and visitors. If you would like to add resources to this list, or have questions about resources included, please email the Steering Committee at sc@dcminyan.org.

Social change is always difficult and imperfect, but that is no excuse to shrink back from this important work. As our tradition teaches, "לֹא עָלֶֽיךָ הַמְּלָאכָה לִגְמוֹר, וְלֹא אַתָּה בֶן חוֹרִין לְהִבָּטֵל מִמֶּֽנָּה", “You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it” (Pirkei Avot 2:21). As a lay-led community, we depend on members to volunteer to help us live this commitment. If you are interested in facilitating a program, guiding a discussion, or organizing collective action, please reach out to the Steering Committee. Our individual and communal responses will likely shift over time and take different forms. While we are still in the coronavirus pandemic and must adhere to social distancing, there is still much we can do to respond to these incidents of racial injustice. 

DC Minyan Steering Committee

COVID-19 Update

Washington, DC, has begun moving toward a gradual reopening and we are now in “Phase One” of the reopening. While we have begun discussions about how and when DC Minyan will be able to meet, we do not yet have a timetable for resuming in-person services. Our priority is the safety of the individuals in our community, and we will continue to operate with an abundance of caution to ensure that DC Minyan programming does not put any individual at risk. We understand the emotional strain of not being able to meet as a community to celebrate Shabbat and holidays. We will continue to monitor the situation in our city and will move to resume in-person services only when it is clear that we can do so safely.

Support from DC Minyan

An important strength of our community is supporting one another, even if we can’t physically be together. Many in our community are negatively impacted by the current situation, including illnesses, layoffs, negative financial effects, and additional life stressors. If you have been negatively impacted and could use support or know someone who could—whether it be help getting groceries, financial support, help getting dinner on the table, or something else—please reach out at sc@dcminyan.org. All requests will be kept confidential and will be handled with discretion.

Help Support Fellow DC Minyan Members

Where appropriate and approved by the person requesting support, opportunities to support members of our community will be sent via email to our Mitzvah List. To be added to the list, please click here.

Weekly Announcements - June 3-9, 2020

Services

Friday, 6/5 at 5 pm - PRE-SHABBAT KIDS SONG SESSION (Zoom link)
Josh Klein will lead a songs session aimed at children 6 and under. Want to request your favorite song? Email shabbatsings@dcminyan.org!

Friday, 6/5 at 6:30 pm - VIRTUAL KABBALAT SHABBAT (Zoom link)
We’ll e-gather together for a virtual Kabbalat Shabbat. After Kabbalat Shabbat, we will say a few additional chapters of Tehillim (Psalms), as is traditional in times of need. See here for links to Psalm 121 and Psalm 130. We will say these Tehillim in solidarity with the Black community over the killing of George Floyd and to express our ongoing commitment to eliminating systemic racism in our country. 

Saturday, 6/6 at 9:25 pm - VIRTUAL HAVDALAH (Zoom link)
Join us at 9:25 pm for Virtual Havdalah.

Remote Programming

As we all adjust to this challenging time of social distancing, DC Minyan is planning several remote programs to keep us connected, to continue providing programming where possible, and to support individuals.

If you have any more ideas for programs, please post it in the Virtual Programming Ideas channel in the DC Minyan Slack. If you are interested in helping lead any virtual programs, please sign up here.

WEEKLY HADAR PROGRAMMING
Our friends at Hadar have a lot happening as well, including weekly programming by our own Rabbi Avi Strausberg in DC:

  • EVERY FRIDAY at 2:00 pm (Zoom link). Join Rabbi Avi Strausberg this Friday and every Friday for a little singing, a bit of Torah and a chance to come together as a community before Shabbat on this weekly call.

Community Resources and Support

DC Minyan is dedicated to supporting the most vulnerable in our community. If you can use some help, would like to volunteer to help, or just want a way to connect one-on-one, you can sign up here.

Support from DC Minyan

Unfortunately, we know that many in our community are being negatively impacted by the current situation, including layoffs and negative financial effects. If you have been negatively impacted and could use support, or know someone who could, please reach out at sc@dcminyan.org. All requests will be kept confidential and will be handled with discretion.

Interest-Free Loans

The Hebrew Free Loan Association of Greater Washington is offering $1,000 interest-free loans to eligible borrowers. If you have been financially impacted by COVID-19, visit www.hebrewfreeloandc.org/covid19 to apply.

Virtual Community Service Opportunities from DCPS

DC Public Schools has published a list of virtual community service opportunities that students in grades 8–12 can use to complete their community service requirement. Many of these opportunities are available to others who may wish to volunteer.

WIN's Response to Coronavirus

Washington Interfaith Network has created an ongoing list of resources and volunteer/donation needs relevant to coronavirus.

DC Minyan Slack

During this challenging time, we encourage everyone to stay connected to their DC Minyan community virtually. We have launched a community Slack and we hope you will join us there!

If you've never used Slack before, an intro on getting started is available here. It's easy to use, both on the web or through the app (which you can download for your laptop and your phone).

To join DC Minyan’s Slack, please click here (new link!). If you have any issues or questions, please email sc@dcminyan.org.

Mazal Tov

Mazal tov to Akiva Fishman and Miriam Liebman on their wedding this week.

Donate to DC Minyan with AmazonSmile

DC Minyan is a part of AmazonSmile, a program from Amazon.com that donates 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to DC Minyan without any extra cost or loss of service to the buyer. Thanks to your purchases, the Minyan has already received more than $260 in extra support. Start shopping and helping DC Minyan today!

Thu, June 4 2020 12 Sivan 5780