Temple Shalom contains numerous chavurah, groups and communities of people - spending time together based on shared interests. A complete list of committees shows all the ways you can participate.

Take advantage of being part of our community and join a group!

Read all about the Brotherhood at Temple Shalom, which provides services to the Temple through Jewish men by promoting a sense of fellowship and camaraderie among its membership. Brotherhood fosters education and cultural understanding; all men are welcomed to join us at any event throughout the year.

Read all about the Sisterhood at Temple Shalom, which provides services to the Temple through Jewish women by promoting a sense of fellowship and camaraderie among its membership. Sisterhood fosters education and cultural understanding; all women are welcomed to join us at any event throughout the year.

The Tsedek Committee is the place where Temple Shalom families connect to Judaism’s historic commitment to Tikkun Olam (Repair of the World) and Gimilut Chasadim (Acts of Loving Kindness). It is through the Tsedek Committee that temple members work to achieve a goal common to Jews everywhere: Bringing humanity a few steps closer to the day when poverty and war are banished, and injustice and hate are gone.

The Worship Committee considers the best way to organize Temple services - when they are offered, to whom they are targeted, what kind of prayerbooks we use, etc. If you have thoughts about these issues, please contact Marty Shargel at zugmere@msn.com.

Our Temple Shalom Book Club is back for its 13thh year! Join Mona Ellis and Stu Bassin for lively discussions of quality books. Most session run from 9:15am-10:45am on Sunday mornings (during the early session of religious school) with bagels and coffee. Drop your kids off at Sunday School and join us for an engaging discussion! There is no charge for participation.

Selections for Temple Shalom Book Club

2011-2012


Sunday, October 2, 2011 9:15am-10:45am
City of Thieves by David Benioff: During the siege of Leningrad, the central characters, a Jewish teenager and a Slavic Adonis are sent on an impossible mission: to locate one dozen eggs in a starving city. The odyssey takes them through tales both heart-warming and gruesome as they encounter Russians who will do anything for food, Nazis and Resistance fighters.


Sunday, December 4, 2011 9:15am-10:45am
To The End of the Land by David Grossman: This novel combines literal travel within Israel with the passages of life. Ora goes on a camping trip with an old friend, Avram, while her son, Ofer, joins the Israeli Army. They wander the hills and Ora recounts Ofer’s story from birth to adulthood. The tragic consequences of war are contrasted with everyday life in contemporary Israel.


Sunday, February 12, 2012 9:15am-10:45am
Nemesis by Philip Roth: The latest from one of the masters that takes place in wartime Jewish New Jersey during a polio epidemic. The main character is an athletic fit PE teacher who is rejected from the military for bad eyesight. He has a happy existence and tries to instill his charges with strength and upstanding morals. Nemesis is the goddess of retribution or vengeance and in this story she upends the happiness that abounds until nothing is recognizable.


Sunday, March 25, 2012 9:15am-10:45am
Safe Passage by Ida Cook: The true story of 2 young women who were interested in coming to America to see great opera stars perform and who ended up rescuing refugees from Europe from the start of the Holocaust. They were recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among Nations.


Sunday, May 20, 2012 10am-11:30am
Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer: An exploration of the lives of Jews in other places, this novel depicts a wealthy father who is separated from his Jewish family in Iran shortly after the revolution. His wife and daughter struggle to survive while searching for him and his son struggles to make it in Brooklyn. It raises philosophical questions including those of allegiance to country vs religion and the role of masters vs servants.

Do you or someone you know in our Temple Shalom Community need help? We're here; call the Temple office (301-587-CARE) or Rabbi Feshbach (301-587-2273 / rabbifeshbach@templeshalom.net) or our Mitzvah Corps at wilmabr@verizon.net.

Read all about the Renaissance Group, which supports Temple members whose children are no longer in the religious school and who want to join other members in a variety of activities involving theater, museums, etc., and, of course, dining experiences.