Friday Night Shabbat Services
Our Friday night Shabbat services happen twice a month at Israel Metropolitan CME Church and are full of song, prayer, meditation, poetry, and a d’var Torah, and followed by a community potluck dinner at a park nearby when the weather is nice.
Shabbat Morning Tot Shabbat
One Shabbat morning a month, Rabbi Yosef leads Tot Shabbat, an abridged morning service full of song and dance that is geared towards ages 1-5 (but fun for everyone). When the weather is nice, we meet in Rock Creek Park, otherwise we gather at Israel Metropolitan CME Church. To register for the next upcoming Tot Shabbat, check out our events calendar.
Shabbat Morning Services
Shabbat morning services generally happen on the first Shabbat of the month at Israel Metropolitan CME Church, led by Rabbi Yosef members of the community. We welcome members to chant Torah or play other roles during the service. Contact Rabbi Yosef at rabbi@newsynagogueproject.org if you have questions or would like to participate.
Shabbat Morning Text Study
Once a month, NSP members gather for a Shabbat morning text study where they unpack the week’s parshah, or Torah reading, together. NSP members guide the discussion, which is accessible to those with and without deep knowledge of Torah. If you’d like to learn more about the monthly text study gathering, reach out to Maurie Kathan at maurie.kathan@gmail.com
Saturday Evening Havdalah & Tisch
Once a month, we gather for a Saturday evening Havdalah ritual to mark the end of Shabbat and the beginning of a new week. Along with Havdalah, we hold a tisch/community-led singing circle, so bring a song to teach or come ready to learn new melodies! The Havdalah prayers are sung in Hebrew, and many songs are in English or are wordless nigunim (melodies). Contact Rabbi Yosef at rabbi@newsynagogueproject.org to learn more or get involved.
Shabbat Co-Op
Inspired by successful volunteer co-ops in other communities, we built our Shabbat co-op to increase members’ involvement in events, spread a sense of collective ownership, and create a leadership pipeline to sustain our community in the long run.
High Holidays
NSP brings in the new Jewish year together with Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services, community break fast, kids programs, Sukkot meals, and a Simchat Torah celebration. Stay tuned for details on our 5784 High Holidays programs!
If you’d like to get involved in planning High Holidays with NSP this year, contact High Holidays Chair, Robin Banerji, at learning@newsynagogueproject.org.
Purim
Our annual Radical Purim party, which was our first major event way back in February 2018 (before NSP formally existed!), is a community favorite!
Save the date for Purim 5784 on Saturday, March 23, 2024 and Kids Purim on Sunday, March 24! Stay tuned for more info about NSP’s 5784 Purim celebrations. If you’d like to be part of planning Purim at NSP contact Julie Margolies at holiday@newsynagogueproject.org.
Other Holidays
We observe many holidays as a community, including Sukkot, Passover, Tisha B’Av, Simchat Torah, and Shavuot. We have often partnered with other synagogues and community partners to host programming for holidays, including Torah study, days of social justice action, and community learning.
For more information about upcoming holiday celebrations, check out our events calendar.