A Reinvigorated Brotherhood

By Brian Orgen, Brotherhood President & Brian Koosed, Vice-President

Two years ago, Brotherhood was reinvigorated to create a space for the men of Washington Hebrew Congregation to connect with each other, build friendships, develop their professional networks, have some fun, and help build our community, both inside and outside Temple.  We specifically avoided a “stodgy” or “old-school” view of what Brotherhood would be. Instead of all men’s events all the time, we created a variety of programming: family-friendly, Temple-wide, community service — and, yes, one or two men’s events — to create a slate that looks like modern Jewish men’s day-to-day lives.

This has led to a mix of fun programs — a family-friendly afternoon at TopGolf, a film screening of Israel Swings for Gold (complete with a visit from two Israeli Olympic baseball players), building bookcases at WHC’s MLK Day of Service, sponsoring the bar and activities at WHC Purim — with more and different events on the horizon.  And of course, we mixed these events with two men’s -only events — one in the fall in honor of the first Thursday Night NFL game (which this year featured Washington’s own Commanders) and our third annual Tournament Tipoff, celebrating opening night of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament with food, games, and a great crowd at the Dog Haus Beer Garden in Bethesda. Brotherhood also continues to field two synagogue softball teams — the multiple champion Washington Hebrew Nationals and the slightly more casual Washington He’Brews — for those interested in playing sports in addition to watching them.

Over the past two years, we’ve been encouraged to see these events begin to develop into something more — the start of a real community consisting of young dads with toddlers, empty nesters, and everything in between. Of course, not everyone can show up at every event; we’re all busy with work, family, and other obligations. But the activities are designed to be respectful of everyone’s time, so they feel like a welcome break from our busy lives, not an additional burden.

These events, combined with our efforts to support Temple-wide community service and other activities, have made Brotherhood a rich experience for all of us who’ve participated in the last two years. Next year, we expect to host a Jewish author or two and have an event focused on sports and/or men’s health, especially as we age.

We hope you’ll join us to keep the momentum going and continue building a Brotherhood community that’s worthy of the men of Washington Hebrew. We’re confident you’ll find it worthwhile. We encourage you to become a member using the QR code below, and feel free to reach out anytime at brotherhood@whctemple.org. We look forward to seeing you soon.