On National Ice Cream for Breakfast Day on Feb. 1, which fell on Shabbat, B’nai Israel Congregation was lively. Ice cream was served at youth services and kiddush. The same day, there was a Bar Mitzvah, an 100th birthday and a 30th wedding anniversary. While this may seem like many festivities for one day, according to the congregations Senior Rabbi Michael Safra, it was just a typical Shabbat. 

B’nai Israel Congregation is a Conservative synagogue in Rockville. Safra has been the head rabbi for 23 years, and his favorite part is serving people at their most meaningful moments. 

“Very often those are moments of joy, when people bring new lives into the world, celebrating attainments, Jewish education and other things,” Safra said. “Also it’s times that are some of the most challenging in life, when people have to deal with challenging illnesses, when people have to consider death, burial and taking care of their loved ones.” 

According to Safra, Shabbat services at B’nai  Israel are often a “production.” There is usually a  life cycle celebration, but even on weeks without them, there are always a couple hundred people who attend services. 

B’nai Israel offers all kinds of different minyans on Shabbat including a “Tot Shabbat” for young children, a family minyan and a teen minyan for those who want to daven in smaller groups. There are also programs or lectures, which often involve Jewish studies. Services always conclude with a kiddush luncheon where the community can share a Shabbat meal together. 

“My favorite part of every Shabbat service is celebrating the community being together,” Safra said. 

Surrounded by some of his closest friends during Kabbalat Shabbat, junior Ari Einhorn feels a strong sense of community. Davening at Ohev Sholom Congregation on Friday nights is one of his favorite parts of Shabbat.

Ohev Sholom is a modern Orthodox synagogue established in 1886 and located in Shepherd Park, a neighborhood in Northwest D.C. According to Einhorn, most members, especially the younger generations, feel very devoted to the community and want to be involved in any way they can. In the group chat for the daily minyan, it takes less than five minutes for people to volunteer whenever there are not the ten people required to make a minyan. 

“Ohev has a lot of great families,” Einhorn said. “It’s very welcoming; there’s always guests coming in and going out. It’s a really great group of people.”

A typical Shabbat for Einhorn begins with going to services with his family on Friday night, followed by Shabbat dinner. Afterwards, he goes to a friend’s house until around midnight with 10 to 15 other local teens, many who also go to CESJDS. 

On Saturday mornings, Einhorn goes to Ohev for services, has lunch with family and hangs out with friends at a different house each week. For him, Shabbat is an opportunity to spend time with friends and celebrate with his community. Whether playing basketball on Saturday afternoons or playing board games in someone’s basement, he feels that the sense of community is always present. 

“I think everyone’s just really into it [synagogue involvement],” Einhorn said. “I think if you asked every single person in the community to sacrifice something, they’d be willing.”

As sophomore Eve Sharp works in the third-grade Hebrew school classroom at Temple Emanuel, she feels overjoyed to be a part of the younger generation’s connection with Judaism. Sharp has worked in the Hebrew school for three years and enjoys her time there every Sunday. 

Temple Emanuel is a reform synagogue in Kensington and was established in 1952. Sharp has been a member her whole life. While Sharp does not normally attend services on Shabbat, she is able to maintain her relationship by working at the Hebrew school. 

“I feel a close connection to the community there,” Sharp said. “Not just my peers but also the staff, the rabbi and cantor.” 

For Sharp, a typical Shabbat consists of Friday night dinner with her family or friends, where she enjoys feeling disconnected from her everyday life and being present at the dinner table. Sharp follows her grandmother’s challah recipe every Shabbat, a tradition she holds dear.

Despite not always going to synagogue on Saturday mornings, Sharp still aims to spend Shabbat with her family, and enjoys using the time to play games and catch up with her family. She tries to use Shabbat as a break from schoolwork and social media, and a time to reflect on the week.  

“Even though we don’t follow all the customs of Shabbat, it is still something I look forward to every week,” Sharp said. “It’s really a time for me to be present with my family, which does not happen so often throughout the school week.”