Congregant SupportCongregant Support
Our Vision
The vision of Agudas Achim is to be a vibrant and inviting place for Jews. It is taking those things that already make our shul a wonderful place and adding others to enhance both our appeal and our congregational community. The goal is to be sensitive to the experience of being a Jew in modern times.
Mishpachah/Family. Agudas Achim serves as a family for its members, providing a place of welcome, inclusion, and comfort to all, but especially to those whose families are distant. It is a place where the family is valued and where each member can come and participate. Not only does it support the enrichment of a Jewish home, but it also provides an alternative place for home rituals.
Tefillah/Prayer. Tefillah (prayer) is our opportunity -- as individuals and as a community -- to communicate with God. We will continue to meet a wide range of individual and communal needs through traditional worship. We also try to meet them by being open to change and by seeking opportunities to pray at new times and in new forms.
G'milut Hasadim/Acts of Compassion. G'milut hasadim are acts performed out of compassion or lovingkindness for others, such as bikkur cholim (visiting the sick), hachnasat orchim (welcoming guests), and nichum avilim (comforting mourners). Torah . Torah is the source of our history, our tradition, and our practice. As a living document, Torah is renewed by the unique contribution of each individual. Agudas Achim seeks to foster an environment in which each of us is encouraged to encounter Torah on a personal level
Bikkur Cholim (Visiting the Sick)
Bikkur Cholim literally means "visiting the sick." Modern society, with its advances in medical technology, intimidating procedures, and sterile hospital environments has increased the need for Bikkur Cholim . The needs of the sick, disabled, lonely and aged require not only the best medical knowledge, but also the most loving care of family, friends, neighbors and the synagogue community. It's easy to visit a family member or someone you are close to, but to reach out to someone you do not know well and offer your hand to help is a true mitzvah .
There are a variety of services we provide to our community as part of our commitment to Bikkur Cholim . In addition to visiting the sick, our Synagogue members initiate caring phone calls, send cards, shop, baby-sit, deliver meals and provide transportation. We have established a buddy system in which a volunteer checks on the well-being of a congregant who may be disabled, aged or lonely. And, we continue to look for ways to enhance the life of someone who may be ill or otherwise less fortunate. Many times congregants who are ill are reluctant to call upon Bikkur Cholim for assistance. They prefer the care of family and friends. But for those with no family nearby or for someone new to our community, Bikkur Cholim is a welcomed connection to another human being, to the Jewish community, or to a social life they once led.
There is an etiquette for visiting someone that serves to enhance the patient's dignity and well-being and, helps to ease the visitor's fears of doing something wrong. The role of the visitor is as an emissary from the congregation for comfort, companionship and connection. As a volunteer you may find the visit or the service you provide the most rewarding part of your week. You will find that you will feel uplifted, useful and you may be surprised at the gratitude you will receive for just being kind. The do's and don'ts of visiting the ill is available through the Bikkur Cholim committee and can easily be provided by calling the office, 703-998-6460.
So, who are our volunteers? Our volunteers consist of members of our congregational family who for reasons of their own have offered their hand to help others in a time of need. Our numbers are growing and we can never have enough! There is no better time than now to participate in this mitzvah.
Chevra Kadisha (The Burial Society)
Our Chevra Kadisha Committee was established in 2001. In proper English, Chevra Kadisha means "The Sacred Society;" in the vernacular, "Team Holiness." Our mission is:
To honor the dead, by caring for them according to the dictates of our Jewish Law.
To honor the living, by caring for them according to the dictates of our humanity.
A typical chevra kadisha consists of three parts: shomrim (the people who "guard" or watch the deceased before the funeral; tahara , (the people who prepare the deceased for burial by performing ritual washing and dressing of the deceased); and bereavement or chaverim (the group that gives support to the family before and during shiva ). Our Chevra Kadisha Committee now provides all three parts to families within our congregation who have experienced a death. Our committee makes an effort to provide shomrim, and if necessary, tahara, to the immediate family of our members when requested; and so far, we have been able to provide these services. We have also, when requested by Jefferson Funeral Home, provided tahara to the community.
We are fortunate to be working with Jefferson Funeral Home, the funeral home in Northern Virginia which is approved by the Jewish Funeral Practices Committee of Greater Washington. Jefferson has a room set aside and equipped for tahara . The staff there is very knowledgeable about Jewish funeral practices and is very cooperative with any of our requests. They also have a special room for shomrim duty.
When a bereaved family requests shomrim for their loved one, the committee goes into action. E-mail requests are sent to the congregation, and schedules are set up with two-hour shifts (except for during the middle of the night when the shifts are three hours). People call and e-mail the shomrim captains until all shifts are filled. Once we have made the decision to provide shomrim, we must fill all the shifts. If we miss even one shift, it is as if we were not performing this mitzvah at all.
No training is required to perform the mitzvah of shomrim. We do, however, have a set of guidelines which we e-mail or send to each person who is performing shomrim for the first time. It is traditional to read psalms during this time, but it is not a requirement. The shomrim room at Jefferson is equipped with numerous Jewish books on mourning, as well as a book of psalms. Many members of our congregation who have performed shomrim duty report that it is a very comforting time for them. The person performing this task does not actually need to see the deceased – before tahara has been performed, the deceased is usually in an adjacent room (and often that door is closed). After tahara , the deceased is brought into the shomrim room in a closed coffin. This mitzvah is one of chesed shel emet – a true mitzvah for which the recipient cannot thank you or repay you.
Tahara means the washing of the body from head to toe by pouring water over it, and then the dressing of the body in the plain linen shroud in which it will be buried. Members of our tahara group have received training, and new members observe and participate in a tahara session before deciding if they want to be a part of this group. The performance of tahara is a very solemn but uplifting experience.
Nichum Avilim (The Bereavement Committee)
The Bereavement Committee, which is a subcommittee of the Chevra Kadisha , has been up and running for about a year now. Its charge is to provide emotional support and assistance to congregants as they prepare and go through shiva, as well as support after shiva is over. In addition, where necessary and desired by congregants, committee members will shop for needed supplies, set up coffee and otherwise handle any serving needs during the shiva minyan itself, provide the hard-boiled eggs for the return home from the funeral, and wait at the house to receive the meal of consolation if there will otherwise be no one else to receive it the day of the funeral. This committee also coordinates with Sisterhood to arrange for the meal of consolation, a fish platter sent to the bereaved family for the meal immediately following the funeral. Congregational response to the work of the Bereavement committee has been overwhelmingly positive.
We welcome additional members for all phases of our Chevra Kadisha Committee. We will provide training to those who wish to join either the Tahara Committee or the Bereavement Committee. Please contact the office if you wish to participate in any of these mitzvot.
Contributions in any amount may be made to these funds. A minimum donation of $10 is required for an acknowledgement card to be sent by mail; however, all donations will be acknowledged in The Bulletin.
- Synagogue Fund
Helps to fund those portions of the operating budget which are not covered by dues and other contributions. - Capital Campaign Fund
Enables us to pay our mortgage and reduce the principal. - Schonberger Family Library Fund
Bookplates inserted for a minimum donation of $36. - Rabbi's Discretionary Fund
Disbursements made by the rabbi to tzedakah , needy individuals, and to meet professional obligations. - Hazzan's Discretionary Fund
Disbursements made by the hazzan to tzedakah. - Music Fund
This fund is for extra-curricular musical activities to enhance the cultural heritage of our congregation. - Prayerbook Fund
Daily Prayerbooks are $36 each, Sim Shalom are $54 each, and Etz Hayim chumashim are $72 each, as of this printing. - Endowment Fund
Helps to secure the financial future of the congregation and for enrichment of Jewish education and culture. - Spiro Adult Education Fund
Established in memory of Samuel and Rose Spiro, income is used for the adult education program. - Robin H. Mendelson Simcha Tree
Leaves are $108 each, as of this printing. Inscription limited to 23 letters and spaces per line with a 3-line maximum. - Camp Ramah Scholarship Fund
Provides subsidies to eligible youngsters to attend Camp Ramah. - Larry Kaback Fund
Established in memory of Larry Kaback, provides a gift to a member of the Confirmation Class. - Cemetery Fund
Provides for the upkeep and improvement of the Agudas Achim Cemetery. - Sefer Torah Fund
Provides funding for repair of our Torah scrolls . - Agudas Achim Commemoration Courtyard
A meaningful and lasting way to record a simcha or to honor or memorialize a loved one. Engrave a brick for $126. - Sam & Anita Turk Continuing Music Endowment Fund
To ensure the presentation of quality music performances on an ongoing basis. - Esformes Continuing Education Endowment Fund
Helps support adult education activities. - Schiff Holocaust Education Endowment Fund
Helps to defray costs of Holocaust education in the Religious School and helps provide Holocaust education, such as acquisition of books, and presentation of lectures. - Henry S. Krevor Endowment Fund for Social Action
Supports activities that benefit the greater community. - Chairs for the Flax Family Chapel
Individual chairs may be endowed for $360 each.