Rooted and Rising: Sermons from Washington Hebrew Congregation

Looking ahead to America's 250th birthday, Rabbi Shankman shares a poem written by her late grandfather, Chaplain Rabbi Jacob P. Shankman, titled "I am an American."

In her Juneteenth sermon, guest speaker Rabbi Kelly Whitehead challenges us to rethink imagination — not as something reserved for children or artists, but as a powerful tool for envisioning a future we never thought possible.

Ricky Woler talks about the importance of community for LGBTQ+ Jews; Rockville High School student CJ Murray talks about how his confirmation class drastically changed his perspective on his identity; and Ramona and Sue Oliver-Walitsky talk about their love story that started through politics and continues through their vibrant WHC family.

The Torah teaches us that even those who cause us pain are deserving of compassion. Rabbi Eliana Fischel explores this idea through a personal encounter in her Shabbat@WHC sermon.

Rabbi Rachel Schmelkin delivers a sermon on how each of us deals with grief in our own way. From the Shavuot Festival & Yizkor Service, May 23, 2026.

What if freedom begins when we stop being afraid of each other? Rabbi Aaron Miller’s sermon connects the Exodus story to the challenge of seeing one another not as ideologies, but as human beings.

Whether in big ways or small, there’s something beautiful that happens when we show up for one another. In this week’s Shabbat@WHC sermon, Rabbi Shankman explores the power of coming together to create something bigger than ourselves.

Taylor Swift and circumcision: two topics you never thought you'd hear together! Hear how Rabbi Eliana Fischel weaves them into a lesson on peeling back our layers in Friday's Shabbat@WHC sermon.