Congregation B'Nai Tzedek

 Rabbi Stuart and Symcha Weinblatt had a dream and a vision – to share their passion and love of Judaism, Israel and the Jewish people by creating a new Conservative synagogue to serve the growing Jewish population of the Washington metropolitan area. They wanted to create a congregation where individuals would grow in their knowledge of Judaism and their level of observance.  At the same time they envisioned a congregation open to innovation and to contemporary modes of expression. Their hope was to create a warm, dynamic, caring community, with inspiring services and a creative approach to Jewish education for both adults and children.

The first meeting to discuss the founding of the new congregation took place in the Weinblatt's home in December of 1987. On a snowy Sunday evening in January of 1988, at the home of Jill and Michael Weinstein, 25 people attended an initial get-together to continue the discussion. A series of  teas, brunches and desserts were held to spread the word about the new synagogue. The idea quickly gained momentum, and the enthusiastic response led to the formation of a Board of Directors.  Alan Weiner was chosen as the first President. Randy Weiss helped draft the bylaws and constitution.  Congregation B’nai Tzedek was officially incorporated as “The Jewish Congregation of Suburban Maryland” in March of 1988.

On the third night of Passover in March of 1988, a Seder held at the JCC drew over 75 people. 120 people attended a Havdalah service and social held that June. It was clear, as people started to join, that there was great interest in this new synagogue.

Over 200 people attended the first High Holiday service held at the Potomac Community Center. Shabbat services were held three times a month at Woodward High School, where we also ran a nursery school. Late in the year the county notified us that we would not be able to use the school the coming year. After only one year of operation, the nursery school had brought in new members and had made a $20,000 profit,.  This money was put aside for a future building. A very successful auction two years later netted an additional $30,000, which was also designated for the future purchase of land.

For the next two years services and programs were held at  the Harker School.  We continued to grow and develop a reputation in the community as a family-oriented congregation. When Harker was sold, services were relocated to the Ring House.  This offered residents the opportunity to join us for services.

Our religious school was started  in 1990 with 15 children in two grades and was held at the Lehrman Community Services Building. We currently have more than 500 children in programs spanning from kindergarten through post-confirmation,.  Our Director of Education, Steve Kerbel, believes in the importance of education for all ages. 

People learned about our synagogue, its unique approach and friendly atmosphere by word of mouth and through newspaper advertisements. One advertisement pictured Rabbi Weinblatt holding newborn babies on his lap, and the caption read, “The bar and bat mitzvah class of 5761 invites you to join us...”

The popular refrain, “If you build it, they will come.” became our theme and inspired us to move forward in June of 1993, with less than 100 families, we purchased 5 ½ acres of land at our current site in Potomac, Maryland.  We built our facility in 1996. In 2000, due to a growing population, the building was expanded. In 2002 we hired our first full-time cantor, Marshall Kapell.

B’nai Tzedek has hosted numerous community-wide events. Speakers have included President Bill Clinton, Senator John McCain, community leader Abe Pollin, radio commentator G. Gordon Liddy, Ambassador Dennis Ross, humorist Moshe Waldoks, Danny Siegel, comedian David Brenner, Literary Editor of the New Republic Leon Wieseltier, Rabbis Yitz Greenberg, Neil Gillman, and Abraham Twerski.

We wanted our congregation to be warm and dynamic, with many opportunities for personal involvement. We wanted It to be a place where children and adults would come together to explore Judaism and to deepen their knowledge and grow in their commitment and their level of observance. We wanted to be open to innovation, and receptive to finding new ways to make Judaism an integral part of everyone's life, but still  firmly rooted in the traditions and legacy of our Jewish heritage. We envisioned a building that would serve as a focal point for our members as well as the broader community. We believe that our staff, programs and activities reflect the vision and dreams that helped to form our congregation.