1. Book Drive - Donate new books for Children's Inn at the NIH (boxes located in synagogue)
2. Friday, 12/2 - 7:30PM - Family Birthday and Anniversary Shabbat
3. Sunday, 12/4 - 9:40 and 10:50am - Adult Ed: Jews & Capital Punishment (attend either session)
4. Sunday, 12/4 - Membership Committee Meeting
5. Sunday, 12/4 - 10:30am - Bonim gift making/wrapping
6. Sunday, 12/4 - 11:00am - Sisterhood to 6th & I Street Synagogue
7. Sunday, 12/4 - 4-9:00pm - Opening Gates of Torah disabilities awareness Conference
8. Wednesday, 12/7 - 8:00pm - Sisterhood Board Meeting
9. Thursday, 12/8 - 8:00pm - Religious Committee Meeting
10. Friday, 12/9 - 5:45pm - USY Shabbat Dinner
11. Friday, 12/9 - 7:30pm - Shabbat Service led by USYers
12. Satruday, 12/10 - 9:00am - Disabilities Awareness Shabbat
13. Saturday, 12/10 - 12:00pm - Kiddush Konversation - Explore the impact of mental illness on our families and community

[Quick Links] |Schedule of Services | BSO Film Festival | Golda's Balcony Tickets | From Cantor Geller | Nursery School |Religious School News | Youth Events | Special Needs Conference | |Kiddush Konversation | Men's Club | Sisterhood | Save the Dates | Jewish Community Events | This Week's Parsha |

Weekly Schedule of Services

1. Friday, December 2, 7:30pm - Family Birthday & Anniversary Shabbat
2. Saturday, December 3, 9:00am - Saturday Morning Service, Bar Mitzvah of Seth Mizrachi
3. Saturday, December 3, 9:30am - Junior Congregation
4. Sunday, December 4, 8:45am - Minyan
5. **Sunday, December 4, 7:30pm - Minyan
6. Monday-Thursday, 7:30pm - Minyan
7. Friday, December 9 @7:30pm - USY led Shabbat Service

Religious School

• Junior Congregation will be held on Saturday, December 3 and December 17 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. in rooms 13, 14, and 15. It is not too late to sponsor a Junior Congregation kiddush. What a wonderful way to honor your child or a special occasion or event. The cost is $36.00 and should be forwarded to the Religious School.
  
• Grade 6 will host a Generations Fair in the social hall on Sunday 12/4 from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend and see the beautiful displays of family heritage prepared by our students.
  
• The Religious School is closed for winter vacation from December 22 through January 2. School resumes on January 3.

FROM CANTOR GELLER

• There will be an Evening Minyan at BSO on Sunday night, December 4 at 7:30 pm.

• There will be a rehearsal for any teens interested in singing with Hazamir DC on Wednesday night December 7 from 6 to 7 pm.
• All teens are invited to our open rehearsal – sing and socialize with other teen a capella singers in the region. Sunday December 11 from 2 to 4 pm. More info
• We do NOT have bnai mitzvah on the Shabbat mornings of December 17, 24, and 31. So we look forward to greeting and praying with you.
• Remember to support our weeknight evening minyan at 7:30 pm and Sunday mornings at 8:45 am. We continue during school vacation.

Nursery School

FUNDRAISER -- NURSERY SCHOOL PARENTS ASSOCIATION
The BSO Nursery School Parents Association is selling KidStuff...and more! coupon savings books for 2005-2006 for $25; 50% of the proceeds goes to the NS. The book contains hundreds of money-saving coupons for family-friendly restaurants, clothing & shoe stores, game parks, movies and other entertainment venues. Stop by the Nursery School office, or call Trudy at 301-570-0699.

Youth Department

• The Youth Department and the Social Action Committee have started a BOOK DRIVE for the kids and families and the Children’s Inn at NIH. Please deposit your NEW books in the bins outside the sanctuary and at the school wing. This is a very important cause.
  
• USY has 2 great events coming up that you won’t want to miss. There will be a sumptuous Shabbat dinner followed by a USY led service on December 9th. More info. Then on December 11th, our USY’ers will wrap your Chanukah gifts. More info. There will be a minimum donation with the money going towards Tikkun Olam.
  
• Attention all 8th-12th graders, your voices can be heard along with dozens of other teens right here at BSO on December 11th from 2-4pm. Enjoy great music and food and it’s all free! More info
  
• Help the Jewish Foundation for Group Homes when Kadima Bowls for Bucks on December 18th from 3p-5p. More info
  
• It’s the 1st annual Machar Driedel Tournament on December 27th from 10a-12p. Compete for prizes and help kids in Israel.
  
• Parents and students alike can check in at the Youth Lounge and browse through our College Bound guide. It’s full of resources to help you find the right school, apply for financial aid and get an idea of Jewish life on campuses.
  
• It’s already time to start thinking about USY Summer Programs. Here’s the link for more information and a coupon. http://www.usy.org/programs/escape/discount.pdf
  
• Let’s help those of other faiths by volunteering for the DC JCC Community Service Day. Here’s the link… http://www.dcjcc.org/volunteer/events/d25.php

Special Needs and Accessibility MONTH

• Opening Gates of Torah disabilities awareness Conference Dec 4, 2005
  4:00-9:00pm at Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, Virginia
  This will be 3rd annual DC regional conference on increasing inclusiveness in the Jewish community. Registration deadline is November 20th. More info. If you want a registration form please contact Lenore Layman at llayman@pjll.org
  
  The conference will be sign language interpreted on request by November 20 and will have a session entitled: Positive Ways in Which People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Can Connect to the Jewish Community.
  
• Saturday, December 10 will be B’nai Shalom’s fourth annual Disabilities Awareness Shabbat. Mental illness affects one in five families worldwide. Join us on December 10 when Esther Kaleko-Kravitz, Executive Director of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Montgomery County chapter, helps us explore the impact of mental illness on our families and community. Ms. Kravitz will address the congregation from the bimah and continue the discussion and answer questions during a Kiddush Konversation following the service.

Tickets to Golda's balcony at the warner theatre

Join your friends from B'nai Shalom of Olney at the Warner Theatre on March 4th at 8:00PM to see Valerie Harper in Golda's Balcony. Ticket reservations due by December 19th. More info.

Sisterhood

• Join BSO Sisterhood this Sunday, December 4 for a guided tour of the 6th and I Historic Synagogue- an important landmark in Jewish Washington's history. We'll leave BSO at 11 a.m. sharp to carpool downtown for our noon tour. Men and women are welcome.
  
• The next monthly Sisterhood board meeting will be held Wednesday, December 7 at 8 p.m. at the home of Leslie Rothfeld. All Sisterhood members are invited to attend.
  
• Sisterhood's Chanukah brunch party is Sunday, December 18 at 11 a.m. at the home of Matlee Yadin. Please bring a new, unwrapped children's book for donation to the Children's Inn at NIH. For more info or to RSVP, call Karen Leventhal.
  
• Sisterhood Shabbat will be observed on Saturday, January 21st. There are Hebrew and English parts available, including prayers in both languages, aliyot, Torah readings and more. Several Sisterhood members and Cantor Geller are ready and delighted to help anyone who would like to learn something new- as long as you let us know by the first week in January. Contact Naomi Yadin-Mendick for available parts and to sign up to participate
  
• The Sisterhood Judaica shop has new Chanukah items and other beautiful new gift and ritual items in stock. Watch for Sunday morning openings this month. To shop by appointment, please call Ellen Lemberger.
  
• Go on line to check out our Sisterhood calendar for upcoming events

Mens Club

• Our second Texas Hold ‘Em tournament will be held at the synagogue on December 11 at 6:30 pm. Entry fee is $40 for Men’s Club members and $50 for Non-members. Please RSVP to Larry Parizer at 301-570-3475 or larry.parizer@bcbsa.com
  
• Basketball teams are forming now. If you would like to play please contact Larry Parizer at 301-570-3475 or larry.parizer@bcbsa.com by First week of December. Also, if you would like to play Softball please contact Larry Parizer. Teams will begin in April 2006
  
• Entertainment books are available once again in the front office.

MOVIE NIGHT

Sunday, December 18th at 3:00pm
"Keeping the Faith"
Best friends since they were kids, Jake Schram (Ben Stiller) and Brian Kilkenny Finn (Edward Norton), are single, successful, handsome, and confident young men living on New York's Upper West Side. When Anna Reilly (Jenna Elfman), once their childhood friend and now grown into a beautiful corporate executive, returns to the city, she reenters Jake and Brian's lives and hearts with a vengeance. Sparks fly and an unusual and complicated love triangle is created because Brian happens to be a Roman Catholic priest and Jake is a rabbi.

Save the Following Dates for Upcoming Events:

• The Art and Soul of Peace Through Humor
  An inspirational Art Exhibition touring North America under the direction of the curator Maureen Kushner and the Consulate General of Israel. Remaining Showings: Sunday December 4th and Sunday December 11th from 10:00am until 2:00pm. At the Jewish Family Center 18318 Georgia Avenue in OLNEY. More info.
• Jewish community-wide Foster Parent recruitment event on December 7, 7:30 PM, at B'Nai Israel to let the community know about our need for emergency, respite, and adoptive parents
• Jewish Community Events Calendar

Text of Weekly Torah Portion is brought to you by The Jewish Theological Seminary of America

P A R A S H A T T o l ' d o t
Genesis 25:19 - 28:9

The text of Parashat Tol'dot is available online at http://www.jtsa.edu/community/parashah/jpstext/toldot.shtml

H A F T A R A T T o l ' d o t
Malakhi 1:1 - 2:7

The text of the Haftarah for Tol'dot is available online at http://www.jtsa.edu/community/parashah/jpstext/toldot_haft.shtml