Traditions Committee Recommendations to the Board
(based on a meeting of the Committee, May 31, 2001 present: Hugh Alpert, Bob Friedman, Franca Posner, Nancy Sherman, David Shneyer)

As Shabbat is the central most institution in Jewish life, its practice should be encouraged within the lives of the Kehila membership, both individually and as a community. We make some recommendations for further discussion and exploration at a future board meeting.

1. We ask Kehila members to consider inviting another family to their home for Shabbat dinner on Friday evenings.
2. We propose more frequent and regularly scheduled adult and family oneg shabbats. Not all onegs need include a formal program. We recognize that some of these onegs may be more sparsely attended than others. But we still think more is better than fewer.
3. We propose more regularly scheduled Havdalah services in people’s homes. Again, small attendance should not necessarily be a deterrent.
4. We encourage those in the community wanting to attend Friday night services to try Yedit, (Tenley Town, DC at 6:45). The service is early and short and so can be followed by Shabbat dinner at one's home. Speak to David about details.
5. We recommend that the youth group meet occasionally on a Friday night for dinner and services as a part of their regularly scheduled program.
6. We want to be sure that the community is aware of Shabbat morning services that they can attend, e.g., David's Am Kolel services bi-monthly at Cedar Lane Church, Fabrangen, weekly at GW Hillel, and local synogogues.
7. We want to explore the possibility of reinstituting a Shabbat afternoon study group.
8. We recommend a Shabbat workshop led by David on a Sunday morning.
9. In so far as the majority of Jewish community institutions, both secular and religious, have decided not to participate as a Jewish community in public events on the Sabbath, the Kehila should follow the same principle. So, for example, the Kehila should not promote, as a community and under a Kehila banner, participation in Saturday marches (even though as individuals they may choose to go on their own).
10. In general we discourage community sponsored field trips on the Sabbath. In the case where there is not group consensus about travel on Saturday, we will make alternative arrangements for those who wish to observe Shabbat. So, for example, we propose for the next teen trip to NYC that those who wish not to travel on Saturday, leave on Friday midday with a chaperone. They then could spend Shabbat at a Jewish home, possibly in the Hasidic community.