Oseh Shalom invites the Washington Society of Jewish Deaf to Shabbat
At the beginning of each month, members of Oseh Shalom Synagogue in Laurel come together over food and prayer to begin the weekly tradition of Shabbat.
Shabbat – Sabbath in Hebrew – is observed every week from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. The synagogue has weekly Shabbat services each Friday, with a potluck held on the first Friday of each month.
“Shabbat is a holy day and even though it is not the High Holidays, it’s our own time where we get to reflect and enjoy time we have set aside to be with our family and friends,” said Joy Schwarz-Mason, the temple’s potluck coordinator.
With nearly 225 families, Oseh Shalom’s members are primarily from Howard County, with others from Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.
For February potluck dinner, the Washington Society of Jewish Deaf attended as the synagogue’s guests.
“We were overwhelmed by the temple members’ warm welcome, which made us feel at home,” said Marcia Zisman, the society's secretary, in an email.
The society appreciated the opportunity to lead several prayers in American Sign Language. A discussion after the Shabbat service focused on the challenges and joys of being both Jewish and deaf.
“The members of Oseh Shalom were very open to learning more about us,” Zisman said. “We hope this led to a better understanding of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community and our needs and dreams.”
Established in November 1973, the society serves the Jewish deaf and hard-of-hearing community in the greater Washington, D.C. area, including Maryland and Virginia.
It has more than 300 subscribers according to its email distribution list.
Rabbi Josh Jacobs-Velde, who is a co-rabbi with his wife, Daria, at Oseh Shalom, said the February potluck was special because of the society guests.
“For myself, and I know for the other Oseh members at the discussion, it was really powerful, a window into something that most of us don’t really know about,” Jacobs-Velde said.
When the Washington Society leads a prayer series, the members do not use a prayer book, making it a very visually experience.
“It’s a very different experience of prayer [that] I think would be interesting for hearing people to see,” Jacobs-Velde said.
The synagogue is going to explore other ways the two organizations can partner, potentially having the society come back to lead a longer form of services.
On the first Friday of each month, Oseh Shalom has an “early bird” Shabbat service from 6 to 6:30 p.m. for anyone to attend.
The potluck follows the early service, which is then followed by a traditional Shabbat service.
The monthly potlucks have been successful for the synagogue with sometimes 80 congregation members attending.
“It’s been a really great community building tool and also an inter-generational tool,” Jacobs-Velde said. “It’s a wonderful thing to get 80 people across the generations in the room.”
Schwarz-Mason said the monthly potlucks are a great way for congregates to meet one another and to see how they can help each other.
“At least for me, I’m getting to meet more congregants. Some congregants who weren’t coming to services now are, and younger families who are joining come,” she said.
Singing songs around the table at Shabbat is a Jewish tradition. Sometimes Oseh members as young as 5 years old lead a song to members who are 65 years old and in-between, Jacobs-Velde said.
There is also a blessing over the wine and challah, a special braided bread.
On Feb. 22 and 23, the synagogue will host Shabbaton, a series of events throughout an entire Shabbat. There will be an International Jewish Potluck, spoken word and other activities for participants to learn about the Jewish faith from different cultures.
The synagogue, partnering with Jews United for Justice, will also host Congressman Jamie Raskin on March 17 at 4 p.m. All events are open to the broader community.
