[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 55 (Tuesday, March 24, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E255]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         CELEBRATING THE B'NAI ISRAEL CONGREGATION'S CENTENNIAL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JAMIE RASKIN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 24, 2026

  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the B'nai Israel 
Congregation's Centennial. B'nai Israel is an essential part of 
Maryland's 8th District's vibrant and diverse Jewish community, and it 
is a privilege to represent a congregation with one hundred years of 
storied history and activism.
  The B'nai Israel Congregation began as a small gathering of committed 
friends who met at a congregant's home on Georgia Avenue in Northwest 
D.C. It grew so quickly that the congregation had to occupy two 
buildings in the District before finally finding its permanent home in 
Rockville in 1976. In 2026, the B'nai Israel Congregation is one of the 
largest synagogues in the movement of Conservative Judaism. Today, over 
1,100 families attend temple services, participate in b'nai mitzvahs 
and celebrate life milestones together.
  The people who call the B'nai Israel Congregation their spiritual 
community share core values of connection and service that have defined 
the Congregation throughout these one hundred years. The Congregation 
supports lifelong Jewish learning opportunities, from the Schilit Early 
Childhood Center to a busy adult education program. The synagogue 
maintains a close relationship with several communities in Israel. And 
every month, congregants enact their commitment to community by 
delivering nutritious meals to local women experiencing homelessness. 
The entire congregation gathers for Mitzvah Day in December to bring 
mitzvot to people across Montgomery County.
  This tradition of service flows from the B'nai Israel Congregation's 
deep well of moral solidarity and civic engagement. During their own 
migration from D.C. to Rockville, members of B'nai Israel helped lead 
the urgent project to free Jewish people trapped and persecuted by the 
Soviet Union. Today, congregants and clergy at the B'nai Israel 
Congregation are active participants in Montgomery County's interfaith 
coalition. They invest deeply in educating each generation about our 
own struggles in America for social justice and lead educational trips 
to historic sites of the Civil Rights Movement.
  Montgomery County and the wider DMV have been fortunate to be the 
home of the B'nai Israel Congregation over the past one hundred years. 
Liberal democracies are sustained by vibrant and engaged communities 
like the B'nai Israel Congregation. May the congregants and clergy of 
B'nai Israel continue to go from strength to strength for the next 
century to come--yasher koach.

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