Erica Mindel is on staff at the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism (SEAS) of the Department of State where she advances U.S. foreign policy on antisemitism. The Special Envoy develops and implements policies and projects to support efforts to combat antisemitism. Deborah E. Lipstadt was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 30, […]
Join us for a Shabbaton with Neshama Carlebach and Rabbi Menachem Creditor. We will offer Friday night study, musical service, and dinner! On Saturday morning, we will learn with Rabbi Creditor. Saturday night we will celebrate our 10th anniversary with a concert by Neshama Carlebach and her band, and a performance by the Scotland AME […]
Liz serves as President & CEO of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC), a broad-based coalition of over 500 businesses and NGOs that advocates for strong U.S. global leadership through development and diplomacy. Under her leadership, the USGLC has grown to a nationwide network of advocates in all 50 states and boasts a bipartisan Advisory […]
Bringing Shabbat joy to Gaithersburg, we meet on the second Friday of the month at 6 p.m. at the Carnegie, 10100 Washingtonian Blvd., Gaithersburg, MD. 20878. We will offer a service only. If you are interested in dinner, they have a delicious restaurant Forge + Fire, but you have to make a reservation first. 240-973-4369 […]
Ben Leiner is a Lecturer at UVA's Darden School of Business teaching, "Technology and Ethics." His interests lie at the intersection of technology and democracy, specifically how technology helps and hinders civic participation and individual wellbeing. Off grounds, he leads product marketing and consumer insights at SmartNews, a news aggregation platform with over 20 million […]
Let's have a Purim Party! We will celebrate Jewish unity and the importance of friendship and community. It's a time to rejoice with song and schnapps! So we chose a venue known for music, camaraderie, and getting buzzed!
Based upon the model of a Passover Seder, the African American and Jewish communities will share the imperative to sustain freedom for ourselves and future generations. We will sing with the Scotland AME Zion Church Choir and Cantor David Abramowitz. We will hear from Pastor Evalina Huggins and learn with Rabbi Evan Krame. In addition, […]
Let's celebrate the holiday with a big barbecue and fantastic music from Jessi Roemer and David Abramowitz. We'll be in the Bumper Car Pavilion at the historic Glen Echo park.
We join together for a special Shabbat featuring our musical friends, Rabbi Mark Novak, Rabbi Sunny Schnitzer, and Cantor Stephanie Weishaar for our annual start to summer outdoors at the Bender JCC in Rockville. Come join us for great music, and bring a picnic dinner. We'll provide drinks, challah, and more. Register here through Eventbrite.
It's leaf peeping season in the fall. Lets enjoy some quality time together in a beautiful setting near the Appalachian Trail! We will create special Shabbat at the tranquil and comfortable Capital Camps and Retreat Center. Great music, hiking, yoga, exercise, learning, laughing, and more. We will stay in the Nesiyah lodge, which is hotel […]
A lifelong musician, cantorial soloist Caitlin McLaughlin has been a service leader and band member at Temple Emanuel of Kensington, MD since 2011, has led alternative High Holiday and Women’s Retreat worship services, and has also taught music in the Religious School since 2020. She joined the Jewish Studio worship leading team in Rockville MD in 2021.
Caitlin completed vocal studies at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA and a master’s degree in Music (Choral Conducting) at the University of California, Irvine. She has led choral groups in schools and congregations in California, New England and Minnesota before settling in Maryland. Beginning in 2021, Caitlin will be a member of Cohort 11 of the Davennen Leadership Training Institute. She has taken part in other Jewish music workshops including Shabbat Shirah and Hava Nashira at OSRUI, NewCAJE and the Jewish Collaborative Songwriters’ Retreat.
She lives in Silver Spring MD with her family.
David Abramowitz was ordained as a Cantor by the ALEPH Ordination Program in January 2016 and received his certificate as a spiritual director in January 2017. David enjoys leading Shabbat morning services at the Charles E. Smith Life Communities in Rockville, Maryland twice a month and officiates life cycle events year round.
In his other professional life, David is the Mid-Atlantic regional technical lead at Trend Micro, a specialist in computer and network security. In his free time, he enjoys playing drums and singing in a rock cover band, and playing in an adult ice hockey league.
David graduated from Brandeis University with a B.S. in Computer Science and received his Masters in Computer Science from The George Washington University.
Evan J. Krame was ordained as a rabbi by the ALEPH Ordination Program in January 2015 and is currently a fellow of Rabbis Without Borders. He has served as president of several non-profit organizations, including the Hillel at George Washington University and Shared Horizons, Inc.
In addition to leading the Jewish Studio, Evan also serves as a founding builder of Bayit, a national organization that provides innovative tools to build a new Judaism. His honors include Hillel’s Exemplar of the Year, Israel Bonds Young Leadership Award, the Jewish Federation of Washington’s Campaigner of the Year, ORT’s community leadership award and the Shared Horizons Humanitarian award.
In addition to his religious activities, Evan is also a partner at Krame and Biggin, a Maryland law firm specializing in estates and trusts work with a focus on assisting families of persons with special needs. Evan is a graduate of Brandeis University and George Washington University Law School and has an LLM in Taxation.
