For 58 years, residents in the Potomac area have been congregating at what is now known as Har Shalom synagogue, starting in the early 1960s when individuals met in each other’s homes or maybe in a public-school auditorium, before the group purchased a farmhouse on the land where Har Shalom now sits. Since then, a lot has changed but as Rabbi Adam Raskin explains, “We are an ancient faith tradition so there are timeless values” that serve as the foundation of Har Shalom, which the Rabbi rightfully considers a cornerstone Potomac institution.
Today, among its more than 700 member families – and the surrounding community – Har Shalom is known for serving everyone regardless of their religious observance, political views, gender, sexuality, age, race, or disability. In fact, new members of Har Shalom often cite the synagogue’s accessibility as one of its most appealing aspects. “Everybody describes it as being unpretentious, warm, like a family, accessible and welcoming,” says the Rabbi. “We pride ourselves on that.”
Accessibility is even built in to the architecture. Describing the welcoming sanctuary, Rabbi Raskin says, “Even the table where the torah is read slides down so someone in a wheelchair could read from the scroll. Also, everything is designed to be round, which is meant to cultivate a real sense of community. We see each other’s faces rather than the back of heads. The clergy doesn’t sit above the congregation. There is no elevated platform. That was part of the spirit of Har Shalom long before I came and I very much appreciate it.”
Rabbi Raskin arrived in 2011 and by 2014, he spearheaded a capital improvement campaign for renovations. The original part of the building, he says, “was tired and dark and it was time to be refreshed and renewed.” The overall renovation, says the Rabbi, “transformed the whole feel of being in the building.”
Today, Har Shalom offers programs for every demographic. “I think that’s a unique feature,” says the Rabbi, referring to Har Shalom’s film festivals, speaker series, book clubs and much more, including the very popular full-day Monday-Friday early childhood education center for kids aged 18 months through pre-K.
“That’s really where community begins here,” he says. “It begins for the children but also for the parents who become very connected to each other.”
Pre-Covid, celebrating Passover with a community seder was also popular among Har Shalom congregants and their extended family and friends. “It’s pretty raucous and family-friendly, with lots of singing and activities and movement and discussion,” the Rabbi recalls with a laugh. This year, like the last two, Har Shalom will instead acknowledge Passover through educational programming. “Our schools provide a lot of education and celebrating and preparing kids to be active participants with their families at Passover,” he adds.
Soon after Rabbi Raskin first arrived at Har Shalom, he developed the Potomac Area Interfaith Communities. “It’s a very special group,” he says, as he ticks off members, including a Unitarian church, a Hari Krishna Temple, the Islamic Community Center of Potomac, a Baha’i’ place of worship, plus Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, and Presbyterian churches and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “They were excited to join forces and it’s been incredible,” the Rabbi says.
The group started by having an interfaith Thanksgiving service. “There were choirs, we did a social action project with Manna Food Center, and we’ve done a lot of things together besides that. We’ve done some educational programs, etc.” the Rabbi explains.
He continues, “There is a very profound commitment to being involved in the larger community. Jewish values instruct us to help make the world a better place through our generosity, our hands-on involvement in various causes, being a voice for justice and compassion. So, we channel all that energy in various ways.”
One of those ways manifested itself with the sponsorship of an Afghan refugee family. Instead of tackling the complicated resettlement process on his own, the Rabbi reached out to his friends at the Potomac Area Interfaith Communities. With a shared goal of helping the refugee family become acclimated, the group is helping the family find healthcare providers, translation services, and traditional clothing, plus organizing transportation, legal and financial support and helping them apply for additional aid. The Rabbi adds, “A generous donor stepped forward with a financial gift large enough for us to sponsor a second Afghan family.”
“When the opportunity to sponsor a family first arose, I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be wonderful to demonstrate to this family that this is really what American society is at its best.’ Not what they may be used to – which is religion as a source of conflict and division - but religion as a source of unity and doing good together.”
