When my father died almost 6 years ago, I was looking for a shul to say kaddish. At the largest conservative shul in Washington I was not even greeted when I said kaddish, and there were only a handful of folks there for the minyan!
Jane Anne & Kathy
Many people came up to us to welcome us and make us feel at home.
Thank you for a wonderful time of worship together.
The only Conservative shul in Arlington, VA, and the most friendly shul in the area that my family and I have been to (and we've visited almost all of them in the DMV). Very welcoming when we visited in March 2009... so much so that we've belonged since that April!
That same week I headed to Congregation Etz Hayim in Arlington and was greeted by dozens of members who welcomed me warmly on my first Friday night there. The next morning I was given an aliyah, and within weeks our family had become members and indeed fans of everything at this warm and wonderful congregation from the services to the Hebrew School to the events that occur throughout the year. Most importantly, though, CEH is made up of a great group of welcoming and supportive members that indeed are our family and a huge part of our lives. We could not imagine ANY other shul in the area being so welcoming and friendly. Each week I look forward to attending services and participating and welcoming new folks who enter our sanctuary. And to quote a famous newsman, "that's the way it is"....at Congregation Etz Hayim!
The next time we visit again from Canada we would love to visit again.
This outstanding shul is more open and welcoming than any synagogue I have ever visited (and I tried a lot of them over the years). Rabbi Lia Bass was the first female Conservative rabbi in Northern Virginia when she joined us 13 years ago. She davens beautifully and is a gifted and learned teacher. Just as importantly, she brings a warm, creative, humanistic approach to Judaism, encouraging a very diverse congregation to build a supportive, respectful community across a broad spectrum of viewpoints, always with the goal of answering the question, "How shall we live as Jews in the modern world?" Everyone who has visited us in the 7 years I've been a member has been struck by the warmth with which they were welcomed.
There are two things that I look for most in a synagogue: (1) that it welcomes children at services (not just in religious school or in a separate Junior Congregation); and (2) that it has learning opportunities for people of all ages, especially adults. Etz Hayim does a good job at welcoming kids at services. When one walks into the sanctuary one of the first things you see is a small pile of children's books and soft toys. If a young child needs a break from services there is a small break room in the back with larger toys, a couch, and a large window looking into the sanctuary so that accompanying parents can relax and still be part of the service. If parents prefer, there is babysitting in the basement (in the well equipped pre-school). There are changing tables in both the women's and men's restrooms. The two rabbis (Rabbi Ackerman since 2013 and Rabbi Bass since 2001) are not phased in the least if a toddler decides to walk up onto the bima during services. School-aged children regularly help adults to dress the torah and when they develop the skills start having the opportunity to lead prayers as a group at Shabbat services. On Sunday morning there is a short family minyan before religious school. There are also monthly services designed especially with kids in mind, but children are always welcome in the regular service too. With respect to education opportunities, when I first joined Etz Hayim about 10 years ago it seemed to me that the educational focus was much more on the youngsters than the adults, but that seems to be changing recently. For example, instead of limiting adult classes to coincide with the days the children were in Religious School, they have started to hold new short classes before and after services. They also have expanded the topics which originally were mostly Hebrew language and one Judaic topic, to a wider array of offerings such as meditation, study of the weekly torah portion, and book discussions. I hope that this learning continues to expand even more in future.
My friend Kathy and I just wanted to say how welcoming everyone was even before we even went through the front door there was conversation on the front steps.
Thank you for your hospitality.
Shalom,
Congregation Etz Hayim is a US Synagogue based in Arlington, District Of Columbia. Congregation Etz Hayim is located at 2920 Arlington Blvd, Arlington, VA 22204, USA.
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