Community
We support the spiritual growth of our members and encourage participation in activities to be enjoyed at all levels and at all life stages.
We offer loads of activities to choose from. We are a spiritual institution, but not all our activities are based on strict religious practice; many are unabashedly secular. You are encouraged to pray with us, to volunteer, to study, to join in social activities, and to form meaningful relationships. Browse the pages of this Community section to learn more about what we're all about!
We invite you to become a member of Magen David.
We hope you’ll make us your Jewish home in the greater Washington, DC area.
Sisterhood
MDSC's Sisterhood offers members the joyful companionship of a vibrant, multigenerational group of women. Members enjoy a variety of activities andlearning experiences. They prepare and underwrite the Shabbat Kiddush, organize Jewish learning programs, develop and support social events and study programs in the synagogue and in the wider Jewish community, and coordinate tzedakah, charitable outreach to those in need.
If you're not already a member of the Sisterhood, we'll be delighted if you'll join us! Please contact Naomi, our Sisterhood President (naomieli72@gmail.com), or Andrea, our Executive Director (andrea@magendavidsephardic.org). Dues are only $20 per year.
Shabbat Kiddushim
Extraordinary fare awaits congregants in the Sriqui Social Hall immediately following Shabbat morning services. On weekends, when there aren’t special events taking place in the synagogue, a basic luncheon follows the Kiddush.
Members often sponsor an upgraded or premium luncheon in celebration of a simcha or in memory of a loved one. For details on how to arrange such a luncheon, please contact our Events Manager and Sisterhood President, Naomi Elimelech (naomieli72@gmail.com).
Book Club
The Sisterhood Book Club is an especially enthusiastic group. Members gather monthly to discuss their love of fiction and non-fiction books with Jewish themes, and discussions are quite spirited!
Read a good book by a Jewish author lately? Looking for a fun group of women to bond with? Consider joining our next meeting and bringing along your book recommendations. For more information, please contact Jan Sedaka (jan.sedaka@verizon.net).
Sisterhood Luncheon
Our annual luncheon is a grand occasion for members of this close-knit, multi-generational group. Delicious Middle Eastern food and an exciting program, reinforced by a sales bazaar, cooking demonstration, or fashion show, make for a rewarding and memorable afternoon. Throughout the year, the women of MDSC participate in myriad dynamic and interesting events. The annual Sisterhood Luncheon is one of the most popular.
Community Service
The Sisterhood is active in community clothing and food drives, aid to the elderly, and preparation of gift baskets in conjunction with Jewish holidays. A hallmark of our community outreach is our volunteer service at Manna Food Center, where members -- often joined by family members -- sort and package food for those experiencing hunger and food insecurity in Montgomery County.
Men's Club
Members of the Men's Club enjoy a variety of social events, and they also engage in service to the congregation and the community at large. Popular social events include the annual Family Fishing Expedition to the Chesapeake Bay, and the lively Scotch and Steaks night.
The Men’s Club is ever expanding its activities to include educational lectures, events in support of local Washington sports teams (Capitals and Wizards), and a "guys together" happy hour and dinner.
The Men’s Club performs outreach into the wider community, and partners with the Sisterhood to aid the needy in Montgomery County, Maryland, through the Manna food distribution program. More joint programs with the Sisterhood are in the planning.
Club members coordinate and participate in activities with MDSC’s Bikur Cholim committee.
Bikur Cholim
MDSC takes pride in the closeness of our community. We strive to be responsive and helpful when our members experience difficult times. Chesed (loving-kindness) is a value we work hard to create and sustain. Bikur Cholim (visiting the sick) is at the core of this effort.
Bikur Cholim provides comfort and companionship to members who are ill, and to elderly or physically impaired persons in need to help with day-to-day tasks. There are few mitzvot that can bring greater joy to the giver, as well as to those who receive this sincere and loving attention. For some individuals, members of the MDSC group can be their only connection to the outside world.
Volunteer members perform activities such as:
- Visits to patients in hospitals, rehabilitation facilities or nursing homes
- Preparing fruit and gift baskets
- Visits to homebound elderly or chronically ill
- Driving patients to and from doctor appointments
- Grocery shopping and other errands
- Helping with children when a parent is temporarily hospitalized
- Maintaining regular phone contact with ailing or isolated persons
- Helping elderly patients communicate with children, grandchildren and caregivers
If you'd like to be a part of our helper team, please contact one of our Bikur Cholim Coordinators --
Jacob Elbaz (elbazj@gmail.com)
Rami Levi (ramilevi77@gmail.com)
Chevra Kadisha
“Let all who work for the community do so from a spiritual motive, for the merit of their ancestors will sustain them and their righteousness will endure.” – Rabban Gamliel, Pirkei Avot 2:2
At the end of life, Judaism guards and protests the dignity of the deceased with the prayerful ritual of taharah (preparing the body for burial). Taharah is considered the highest form of mitzvah because the beneficiary cannot express thanks or reciprocate. Those who perform this act of chesed shel emet (true loving kindness) are the Chevra Kadisha. At Magen David, members of Chevra Kadisha are observant men and women who have been carefully trained in this practice.
To receive the pre-burial ritual of taharah is the right and privilege of every Jew. Arrangements can be made through a funeral home, or you may contact the Chevra Kadisha Coordinator for MDSC, Samy Ymar, at samy@amerepro.com or 202-438-5050.
Samy is prepared to assist each member family in this time of need. If a member of the community passes away on Shabbat or a Jewish holiday, please contact Samy immediately following the conclusion of Shabbat or the holiday.
Please note, MDSC has contracted with a local funeral home for a simple, halachic Jewish funeral at a pre-determined cost. It is suggested you contact Samy before contacting a funeral home to make arrangements.
Local Resources
MDSC is supportive of many social and commercial offerings and institutions in the larger Jewish community. Local Jewish resources and organizations are listed below. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, please contact our office and we’ll be glad to help!
- Jewish Federation of Greater Washington: shalomdc.org
- Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington: jccgw.org
- Jewish Social Service Agency (JSSA): jssa.org
- Kosher Restaurants in the Greater DC Area: capitolk.org
- Mikvah Ateres Yisroel: chabadpotomac.com
There are two Glatt Kosher supermarkets in the area:
Moti's Market
4860 Boiling Brook Parkway
Rockville, MD 20852
Phone: (301) 468-0400
http://www.motismarket.com
Shalom Strictly Kosher Meats
1361 Lamberton Dr
Silver Spring, MD 20902
Phone: (301) 946-6500
http://www.theshalomgroup.com
Many local markets stock kosher products. Here are some that are located within three miles of Magen David:
- Trader Joe’s (12268-H Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD)
- Whole Foods (11355 Woodglen Dr, Rockville, MD)
- Safeway (1800 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD)
- Shopper’s Food (5110 Nicholson Lane, Rockville, MD)
Looking for a hotel? The closest hotel to our synagogue is the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center. This Marriott is located at 5701 Marinelli Road in North Bethesda, Maryland, and is approximately a 10-minute walk to Magen David.