The BCRC Blog

The streets and sidewalks of historic downtown Leesburg were clogged Sunday May 31, with more than 1,500 people exercising their right to peacefully protest in honor of George Floyd, a black man who died at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer earlier this week. Click here to read more. 

Rabbi Amy and Sonja Benson (taking the photo) joined in the protest and are here pictured with Commonwealth's Attorney Buta Biberaj and a...Read more...

BCRC joined with many of our nation's religious organizations by going remote this season. Our Remote Seder was a big hit, with 38 families joining us on Zoom for a full live streamed Seder hosted by Rabbi Amy...Read more...

BCRC now has a team devoted to fighting Anti-Semitism, headed by Marc and Dale Nodell. As we have seen anti-Semitic events increase over the past year, this  team has already been meeting with elected officials and organizations to seek their support. A meeting will be held soon, open to anyone who is interested in helping out, to compare ideas and put a game plan together. Here's a few updates from Marc Nodell on...Read more...

Last year has been a devastating one for Jews world-wide as we have seen the number and level of anti-Semitic events increase. Here in the US, I am sure you are aware of the incidents in NJ, Monsey NY, Brooklyn, Pittsburgh, LA as these are the most publicized. There are many more incidents occurring on campuses, workplaces and in public settings that are just as unsettling yet not given any press. 

Over the last year my wife Dale...Read more...

I am very pleased to announce that due to the hard work of our dedicated Security Committee and many other committed congregants and staff members, BCRC has been approved for a federal security grant for the upcoming year, administered by FEMA.

The grant will be used for various needed improvements to our physical facility to reduce our vulnerability to security threats. Here are some key aspects:

Recently, Rabbi Amy joined with Pastor Mike Trivett of Christian Fellowship Church and Syed Alam of the ADAMS Center on a historic trip to Jerusalem, to help inaugurate United Airlines’ (who Syed works for) non-stop route to Israel. They were approved to fly on the maiden flight on this route. Here’s an excerpt from their proposal to United outlining the historic significance of this trip:

“We believe that the opportunity to...Read more...

In the wake of the tragic shooting at the Chabad of Poway, CA, we convened the 5th through 7th graders for an assembly at the beginning of our school day yesterday. There, with Mr. Phil, we led a brief service combining songs, prayers, and words of strength and hope. By standing together as a community in this way, we strengthen our faith and our Jewish pride. Some classes later wrote notes of condolence that will be sent to the Chabad in...Read more...

Purim at BCRC was a very festive event this year! We started with a Megillah reading by Rabbi Amy (and all of the attendees) on the actual date of Purim. Boo Haman! Have you ever joined us to read the entire Book of Esther? If not, try it next year - it is considered a mitzvah to read it on Purim! On Friday we had our traditional Purim spiel. This year we presented "Spooky Purim! - A Musical Purim Shpiel and Erev Shabbat Service...Read more...

We met with our architecture team from Brawer Hauptman to provide an update and obtain congregational input on our master plan. For those who couldn't make it, here's a quick update on some of the exciting things they are working on. 

The architects showed us several ideas for our temple entrance. Attendees favored combining the idea for a canopy over the entry, plus a bench. See below:

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The BCRC Security Committee is now working actively to implement security upgrades for the BCRC facility. We are planning to apply for a FEMA grant program which could provide funding for some significant capital upgrades. One of our major capital upgrades will be new secure front doors integrated with an electronic entry control system. Options such as electronic keypad, badge reader and other state-of-the-art entry systems are being...Read more...

I think it can be said that everyone had a happy Chanukah at BCRC! Our Chanukah themed Tot Shabbat featured the wonderful Chanukah song stylings of our very own Phil Kane. Afterwards everyone enjoyed latkes and jelly donuts at our new member oneg/preneg, followed by a group menorah lighting.

On...Read more...

Have you seen the photos from the ten day trip to Israel recently made by Rabbi Amy and members of BCRC, along with Temple Beth El of Riverside CA and some of Rabbi Amy's former congregants from Rochester? If you've never been to...Read more...

Many of you have been asking us how the temple facility project is going. As you know, we have contracted with the architecture firm of Brawer & Hauptman to produce a master plan that will serve as our guide in implementing our facility’s next phase of development, that will provide us with a welcoming spiritual home for many years to come.

We recently finished a building survey to gauge some of the general ideas and priorities...Read more...

Next time you enter our sanctuary, be sure to check out the beautiful and welcoming new inscription, Hinei Mah Tov, or 'How good and pleasant when we dwell together in peace' (Psalm 133:1). The inscription was designed and painted by Tamara Stoneburner, a noted calligraphy artist, who donated much time over several months to get the art work and calligraphy just right. Some other aspects that you may be interested in: You will see the...Read more...

One of our congregants, David Mendelsohn, has written a new book which provides compelling evidence of the afterlife/heaven/reincarnation. The story follows the lives of three main characters, fictitious but drawn from real life cases, and a psychiatrist who finds her core beliefs challenged by her patients experiences.  It's an intriguing story.  While "heaven" is an integral tenet of other major religions, it is not...Read more...