Congregation Etz Hayim

My husband, son and I have been members of Etz Hayim for the past 4 years. Things I like: - The synagogue has a warm, homey feel and you can get involved as much or as little as you like. If you want to attend services or events, you'll be welcomed with open arms. If getting even more involved in planning an events, speaking and sharing your expertise on a topic, organizing social action initiatives, etc, is your thing, you will be definitely find a willing audience. - The Rabbi, Rav Amelia, is an incredible speaker and I have learned so much for her sermons. She has been able to handle the current political situation with so much grace. - Our son (3-years-old) has found a home away from home through attending services, Tot Shabbat, and the preschool. He looks forward to running around in the sanctuary and eating at the (very substantial!) lunch kiddush after Saturday services, and all the older congregants dote on him. I'd definitely recommend attending this synagogue if you need a place to pray in the area, and also if you're looking for a more long-term congregation with a homey feel and an intellectual bent.

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! 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 most friendly Conservative schul around. My husband went "schul shopping" for a Conservative schul when his father passed away and our son reached Hebrew School age. First of all he tried Addis Israel in DC (as we live in DC) and found it to be way too large and also very unwelcoming. He made his way across Key Bridge and ended up at Etz Hayim, where we found a smaller congregation warm welcome. We have found the religious school to be excellent and services to be about as conservative as you could possibly want. The people at Etz Hayim are kind, welcoming and very quickly we chose Etz Hayim to be our religious home. It is an open minded synagogue where ALL kinds of families are welcome. We are two men with an 11 year old and we couldn't have asked for a more welcoming place to worship. Rabbi Bass is wonderful on so many levels. Her services educational, warm and sometimes funny. We feel the she is a true leader of the schul and someone who will take time to get to know all of her congregants. If you are looking for a schul, we highly recommend Etz Hayim.

I as well as my brothers have been attending the Sunday/Wednesday school and services since we were 3 years old, and have all been bar/ bat mitvahed here. The potlucks, holiday services and Saturday services are very welcoming and the teachers are great role models, most of whom are graduated students.

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.