Programs

DC Minyan is a Jewish community passionately committed to both traditional halachah and principles of egalitarianism. We strive to be an inclusive community that provides rich and meaningful Jewish experiences for people of diverse backgrounds. Our activities are focused on the three pillars of the Jewish world: Torah (study), Avodah (prayer), and Gemilut Chasadim (social action/acts of kindness).

Chinuch (Education)

DC Minyan values learning as a foundational way to celebrate and connect to Jewish tradition, to each other as individuals, and to our community. Through different kinds of learning and discussion, we connect with DC Minyan members in a way that complements our collective prayer and allows us to think through and elevate the complexities of our tradition, and enrich our daily lives.

In addition to the DC Beit Midrash, annual DC Minyan learning “events” include three annual Lunch/Dinner and Learn programs that feature prominent teachers in contemporary Jewish life. For more information, please email chinuch@dcminyan.org.

Community Relations

The Community Relations committee is responsible for developing community building programming, maintaining DC Minyan’s membership lists, spearheading DC Minyan’s annual membership drive, serving as the point people for new arrivals to the community, and soliciting feedback and input from the community. For more information, please email  membership@dcminyan.org.

Divrei Torah

When DC Minyan meets, a member of the community typically offers a few words to enrich the experience for all. This usually takes the form of a Dvar Torah, a short introduction and discussion of the Torah portion. To give a Dvar Torah, please see our resources page and email dt@dcminyan.org.

Hospitality

At DC Minyan we strive to create an environment that is warm and welcoming to all. A great way to get to know the community is to share a Shabbat meal with others. If you are looking for a place at a Shabbat table in the community, or if you are interesting in hosting guests or community members for a Shabbat meal, we hope to find a place for everyone. E-mail us at hospitality@dcminyan.org and we will match you up.

The hospitality committee also coordinates DC Minyan’s greeting program for Kiddush, Friday night onegs, and other DC Minyan events. The greeters are available to answer any questions people have about DC Minyan and more importantly, they are always meet new people and introduce them to DC Minyan. Being a greeter is very flexible; you can volunteer every week, every so often, or on a single Shabbat. This is a great way for people interested in short term DC Minyan volunteer opportunities to get involved. If you are interested in being a greeter, please contact our hospitality coordinators at hospitality@dcminyan.org.

Kiddush

Kiddush, our Shabbat morning after-services cocktail hour (without the cocktails), provides our community with time to meet new people and socialize with their friends. If you’d like to sponsor a kiddush in honor of a birthday, graduation, accomplishment, or any significant life event; or in commemoration of a yahrzeit (anniversary of a loved one’s death), please email kiddush@dcminyan.org.

In addition, we occasionally have an oneg following Friday night services, with lights snacks and drinks. A Friday night oneg is a great time to meet members of the DC Minyan community and make connections with members old and new. To sponsor an oneg, please email oneg@dcminyan.org. 

LGBTQ Liaison

Our LGBTQ Liaison works with other DC Minyan leaders to plan events with a specific focus on the LGBTQ community. These programs include but are not limited to speakers and scholars in residence, social activities, and events in collaboration with other LGBTQ groups in DC, such as GLOE, the DC JCC’s Gay Lesbian Outreach and Engagement program. The LGBTQ coordinator is also a resource for queer community members wishing to get involved with DC Minyan and/or celebrate an occasion at DC Minyan. To learn more, please email LGBTQ@dcminyan.org.

Life Cycle Resources and Support

Our Life Cycle Event coordinator helps coordinate community support for members of the community who are celebrating a happy time or experiencing some loss. If you know of someone who is new in town, just had a baby, is suffering from an illness, or in any way could use some extra community support, you can email lifecycle@dcminyan.org or meals@dcminyan.org so that our coordinator will be alerted. You can also e-mail mitzvah@dcminyan.org to sign up to be on the Mitzvah Volunteer List and receive occassional emails informing you of opportunities to help community members in need. Finally, if you wish to prepare meals for a particular member, please view the Meals Calendar and sign-up instructions.

To see our repository of life cycle resources, please visit the Life Cycle Resources page.

Parents & Kids

DC Minyan is pleased to provide programming for the many children and families in our community. We hold three children's programs on Shabbat morning. We have Tot Shabbat for children ages 0-4, a Children's Service for children from 5-9, and Midrash Minyan for children from 10-13 beginning at 10:30. These programs are led by members of our community. We also hold holiday programming throughout the year.

We also run a Judaics Coop for children in our community. DC Minyan matches small cohorts of students who learn  with experienced teachers at least weekly by Zoom. DC Minyan provides learning objectives focused on tefillah, chumash, and chaggim. Cohort families then work together with the teacher to tailor the program to the learning styles and priorities of the families. The program is currently aimed at students between the ages of four and twelve. 

For more information about kids’ programming, email parents@dcminyan.org.

Social Action

DC Minyan is committed to taking the values we talk about in study and prayer and putting them into action. The Social Action Committee works to harness our community’s skills and big hearts to tackle social justice and environmental problems locally and around the globe. If you have questions about the Social Action Committee and our programs, contact socialaction@dcminyan.org.

Special Events

The special events group coordinates and oversees community lunches and dinners as well as other holiday programming. To help plan a special event at DC Minyan, please email specialevents@dcminyan.org.