Resources

Leading Services

This page has many useful resources if you are looking to lead services or just familiarize yourself better with the service. There are guides on how to lead services including when to sing, when to chant, how to stand, and lots more. There is also a large selection of audio files with the prayer services. See more…

Getting Acquainted with the Service

The structure and choreography of services can seem daunting but truly need not be. If you are looking for an explanation of what goes on during services and why, please email the Gabbai Commitee at gabbai@dcminyan.org.

Giving a Dvar Torah or Dvar Tefillah

A Dvar Torah is a brief talk about the weekly Torah portion and a Dvar Tefillah is a brief talk about a selected prayer. This page contains some resources to help you prepare to present one of these at DC Minyan services. Follow this link.

Life Cycle Resources

Find links to documents with a wealth of information about celebrating and commemorating life cycle events. Life Cycle Coordinator Miriam Szubin updated this material in December 2009. See these resources.

Bereavement Support

When a DC Minyan member experiences a loss, the Bereavement Committee will coordinate any part of shiva that is local and also make sure that the mourner is supported in a variety of ways throughout their mourning period. Find more information and resources here.

Holiday Resources

See here for special resources for holiday observance and rituals.

Parents and Kids

DC Minyan is pleased to provide programming for the many children and families in our community. We hold Tot Shabbat for kids during the Torah reading at Shabbat morning services. From a kids’ Purim party to a Sukkah decorating event, we provide programs that are family friendly and engaging for children of many ages. For more information about kids’ programming, email parents@dcminyan.org. Click here for more information.

Kashrut

Kashrut is a central value for DC Minyan, and all of our communal events follow standards of kashrut intended to ensure that the largest number of members is comfortable eating. We also recognize that, as has been the case in many Jewish communities throughout history, DC Minyan community members observe a range of kashrut standards in their own homes. After considering relevant halachic guidelines and principles, we have formulated a policy that respects the range of practices in our community and maximizes our potential for hospitality meal matching.

DC Minyan’s Kashrut Policy for communal events requires that all food be made using certified kosher ingredients and using kosher equipment. There are many ways for participants to prepare food, uncooked and cooked, even if their homes do not adhere to the policy. The Kashrut Resources page provides some examples, including a few simple techniques for kashering equipment.