Welcome to DC Minyan!

Since DC Minyan's first meeting in February 2002 in a bookstore in Dupont Circle, we have seen tremendous growth in our community - not only in our membership, but also in our programming and events. The DC Minyan community today includes active members right out of college, current students, professionals of all ages, young children, and retirees. We offer Shabbat services, text learning, social service engagements, happy hours, Shavuot retreats, Shabbat "Lunch and Learns", and so much more.

We welcome people of all ages, from all backgrounds, and with all levels of familiarity with Jewish texts and ritual. On this website, you can find information about our events, how to get more involved, and more! If you have any questions, please email info@dcminyan.org. We look forward to hearing from you!


Membership

DC Minyan relies on its members to provide the services, events, learning programs, and more that sustain our strong and vibrant community. The membership funds we raise help us to pay for our room rentals, speakers' fees, new siddurim and chumashim, and countless events throughout the year. Every financial contribution helps DC Minyan to continue to provide enjoyable and meaningful services, as well as a variety of other engaging programming.

And DC Minyan membership has its privileges! Members receive free High Holiday tickets, discounts on events and JCC room rentals, pre-registration for popular events throughout the year and much more! We encourage you to renew your membership or officially join DC Minyan for the 2010-2011 year (5771 on the Jewish calendar). For more information and to sign up, please click here.

Would you like to give a donation or other payment to DC Minyan?

The quickest and easiest way to make a contribution or other payment to DC Minyan is using PayPal, by clicking on the button below or by accessing your account at www.paypal.com. The payment is immediate and secure, and you will automatically receive an emailed receipt of your payment. Be sure to note in the Description box what your payment is for. Thank you!
If paying by PayPal is not convenient, you can also send a check to:
DC Minyan
P.O. Box 14115
Washington, DC 20044

Would you like to join our email list? Great!

Enter your email address to sign up for DC Minyan Newsletter(s)
Once you click "Go", you'll be given the option of signing up for the DC Minyan Announcements (weekly email listing DC Minyan services, programs, and news) or the Minyan Bulletin (weekly email listing events, housing, and news in the larger community).

UPCOMING EVENTS

HIGH HOLIDAYS & MEMBERSHIP
The time has come to renew your membership or join DC Minyan if you are not yet a member. It is also time to begin planning for the high holidays. DC Minyan membership dues include high holiday seats. Please follow this link to sign up for membership or non-member Rosh Hashana seats.

DC Minyan has reached maximum capacity for Yom Kippur services at the DC JCC and registration for Yom Kippur services is therefore closed. If you have registered for Yom Kippur and no longer plan on attending, please let us know as soon as possible by emailing info@dcminyan.org. Unfortunately, we anticipate that our services will be completely full and we encourage anyone who has not already purchased a ticket to find another place to attend Yom Kippur services. We regret that we cannot accommodate more people, but we are limited by the space constraints at the DC JCC. If you would like to be placed on a waitlist, please email info@dcminyan.org and we will alert you if we receive cancellations. Registration is still available for Rosh Hashana. Please contact the Steering Committee at sc@dcminyan.org if you would like help in identifying other Yom Kippur services to attend or with other questions.

The dates and times for DC Minyan's high holiday services are listed below. High holiday services will take place at the DCJCC, 1529 16th Street, N.W. Mincha and Tashlich on Sep 9 will be at P and 23rd Streets NW.

Rosh Hashana
Evening Service: Wednesday, September 8th, 6:45 p.m.
Morning Service: Thursday, September 9th, 8:30 a.m.
Mincha and Tashlich: Thursday, September 9th, 5:30 p.m.
Morning Service: Friday, September 10th, 8:30 a.m.

Yom Kippur
Kol Nidrei and Evening Service: Friday, September 17th, 6:30 p.m.
Morning Service: Saturday, September 18th, 8:30 a.m.

LULAV AND ETROG ORDERS - 9/3 at noon
DC Minyan is once again selling lulavim and etrogim for Sukkot. This year, there are two options: 1) Standard Lulav/Etrog Set - $30 for DC Minyan members; $40 for non-members, and 2) Deluxe Lulav/Etrog Set - $36 for DC Minyan members; $46 for non-members. All orders must be placed by noon on Tuesday, September 7. To order your set, please fill out this form. The lulav and etrog sets will be available for pickup at the DCJCC at specified times between Yom Kippur and Sukkot. We will email pick up information to everyone who places an order. The sets will also be distributed at the DCJCC on the first morning of Sukkot. Please pay for your lulav and etrog set via PayPal by clicking here. If you are unable to use Paypal and need to make an alternative payment arrangement, or have any questions, please email Raina Goldberg at lulav@dcminyan.org.

HIGH HOLIDAY FOOD DRIVE - 9/7-9/17
Please join DC Minyan and the Washington DCJCC as we collect for our annual High Holiday Food Drive. This is a hard time for many residents in the DC area. Thank you for making a tangible contribution for those in need in our local community. It's easy! Just bring your donations and put the items in the food bank collection boxes in the Washington DCJCC lobby between September 7 - September 17th. All items must be unopened and nonperishable. No glass jars please! We can accept boxed and canned food, granola bars, and travel-sized hygiene products. All donations will benefit the Capital Area Food Bank which distributes to hundreds of local organizations. Questions? Contact Erica Steen at erica@washingtondcjcc.org.

SUKKAH OPEN HOUSE - 9/26
Save the date for DC Minyan's annual new and prospective member Sukkah Open House, on Sunday, September 26, at the home of Bryce Jacobs and Matt Mayers. This is a great opportunity to meet new and veteran DC Minyan members, eat in Bryce and Matt's beautiful sukkah, and enjoy some time outdoors. We hope to see you there.

ANNOUNCEMENTS / ONGOING ACTIVITIES

VOLUNTEER WITH DC MINYAN
DC Minyan is currently (as of 8/27) seeking people: to lead Tot Shabbat, to plan for Simchat Torah, to coordinate the new and prospective members sukkah open-house, and to serve as DC Minyan greeters. Please check out the Get Involved tab to learn about leadership and volunteer opportunities to help serve the DC Minyan community. This list is updated weekly with new volunteer opportunities!

DC MINYAN KASHRUT TASKFORCE
The Steering Committee has assembled a Kashrut Taskforce to reexamine the community's kashrut policy. This Taskforce, spearheaded by the Gabbai Committee, will study Jewish source texts on kashrut, research the policies of other communities, consider relevant teshuvot (halakhic responsa) relating to communal kashrut standards, and solicit feedback from community members about the current policy. Taskforce members will facilitate a community-wide meeting to share their preliminary findings, and ultimately present the Steering Committee with written recommendations on what aspects of DC Minyan's kashrut policy should stay as they are and what, if any, should change. Finally, the Steering Committee will consider the recommendations and bring them to the Leadership Council for approval along with the Steering Committee's own recommendations. If you have feedback on this issue, or can identify sources for the Taskforce's work, please email kashrut@dcminyan.org.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The new DC Minyan list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) is now available here and under the About tab (in "DC Minyan on One Foot" subsection). The DC Minyan Leadership Council developed this FAQ list as a response to your feedback during the DC Minyan Dialogue process asking that we provide more and readily accessible information about DC Minyan's structure, leadership, history, and policies. Thank you to Communications Manager Liz Cohen for helping to coordinate the FAQs! If you have questions or feedback about the FAQs, please email the Steering Committee.

DC Beit Midrash - Ongoing
Make Jewish learning part of your regular schedule by joining us for DC Beit Midrah on Mondays, 7-9 pm, at the JCC! Visit dcbeitmidrash.org.
You can always learn about future DC Minyan events by visiting our web calendar. A printable calendar for events taking place during July - October 2010 is also available.