Together, we had a joyous, meaningful, fun-filled year of learning and celebrations in honor of Beth Am’s 50th Anniversary. If you attended any of our celebratory events, we ask that you help us by completing our 50th Anniversary Community Reflection Survey.
Saturday, December 13, 2025
Milk cost $1.57 a gallon, Stephen King published his first thriller, “Carrie”, the film “Young Frankenstein” was a box office hit, the first UPC (Universal Product Code) barcode was scanned at a supermarket in Ohio AND Beth Am was founded. All in 1974.
As we concluded our 50th Anniversary year focused on The Torah of Beth Am: Honoring Our Past, Inspiring Our Future, Living Our Values, we partied — like it’s 1974! Enjoy memories of our dancing and shmoozing the night away at the final event of our fantastic 50th Anniversary celebration, featuring Machaya Klezmer Band and a DJ spinning 70’s tunes!
(photos by Jim Burger)
In November 2025, we spent an inspiring and informative weekend with Rabbi Dr. Jane Kanerak, Professor of Rabbinics and Dean of Faculty at Hebrew College. Checkout her lectures below:
All too often, we assume that women are not present in the Talmud. But if we shift our lenses and being with an assumption that in fact women are present in the Talmud, we suddenly see much more than we had thought possible. This talk asks us to practice the art of learning to notice what we might all too easily overlook.
Tractate Sotah of the Babylonian Talmud contains a magnificent midrash about the righteous women for whose sake Israel was redeemed from Egypt. We study this story with Rabbi Kanarek as a window into the rabbinic imagination and as a guidepost for rebellion, resistance, and subversion.
We often take for granted that the Bible is the foundation of Jewish life. But the Bible underwent a process of becoming the foundation of Jewish life. Through examining the ways in which stories from the book of Genesis become sources for rabbinic law, this talk looks at the process of the Bible becoming a rabbinic document.
October 14-15, 2025
During Simchat Torah 5787 (October 14 – 15, 2025) we dedicated Beth Am’s new Torah scroll! Hundreds of congregants participating, honoring our heritage and preparing for our future.
View Rav Daniel Cotzin Burg inviting all those who participated in scribing the Torah to the Bima here.
Throughout the year
At several sanctuary shabbats during the anniversary year, we will honor congregants and friends whose creativity and dedication over the last five decades have made the Beth Am community so special.
Sunday, May 18, 2025
We connected with our Reservoir Hill neighbors and celebrated our 50th anniversary at a special free concert featuring jazz royalty Lafayette Gilchrist and the New Volcanoes, with special guest Baltimore rapper Eze Jackson. Lafayette Gilchrist is the winner of an Independent Music Award for Best Jazz Album and the Maryland State Arts Council’s Maryland Traditions Master/Apprentice Award. His work was featured in the scores for the hit TV shows The Wire and Treme. Brought to you by Beth Am’s Tzedek Committee.
Sunday, March 30, 2025
What might the practice and values of Jewish scribal arts (sofrut) teach us about living our most engaged and meaningful lives? Joined by Boston-based Torah scribe and artist, Rachel Jackson, we studied how the Jewish laws of scribing might teach us something more about ourselves, our community, and our world.
Discovery Lab students worked with Soferit Rachel Jackson in the afternoon on a 50th Anniversary-inspired art project to adorn the walls of our building.
An action-packed day of learning concluded with the 5785 Women’s Pesach Celebration (formerly known as the Women’s Seder). We leaned into our 50th Anniversary values with a special focus on Kehillah – Sacred Community. Together, we shared wisdom, created art, and collaborated on how we can support one another in sacred community during turbulent moments. Abby Woloff (Ba’alat Tefilah) was our spiritual guide for the evening and helped us connect with our traditions and our community. Rachel Jackson (Soferet and Artist-in-Residence) led us in an etched glass Seder plate project.
January – March 2025
Participate in interesting conversations with scholars and experts, each relating to one of the Beth Am values we’re celebrating this year. Program Dates: Thursdays at 8:00 am at Beth Am – January 9, January 23, February 6, February 20 and March 6. Bagels and lox included!
December 13-14, 2024
We started the celebration of Beth Am’s 50th Anniversary with an inspiring Klei Kodesh Kaballat Shabbat, followed by a delicious dinner and a tisch afterparty; Shabbat morning services and a special catered lunch; and joyous music at a Saturday evening concert with Jacob’s Ladder.
During TorahFest and our Scribing sessions, we began to write the first strokes of our new Sefer Torah and embarked on this sacred journey communally.
(photos by Jim Burger and Aaron Levin)
