Modim Anachnu Lach: Moving Forward Together in Gratitude

As I begin my service as the 71st President of Washington Hebrew Congregation, I find myself returning to a phrase we recite each Shabbat: Modim anachnu lach — we are grateful.

Each Friday evening at WHC, our clergy ask us not just to recite these words, but to actively share our simchas (joys) with one another. Whether celebrating a birth, b’nei mitzvah, conversion, or filling the Kaufmann Sanctuary to honor our Senior Rabbi and Senior Cantor’s 25th anniversaries, these moments do more than mark milestones. These moments strengthen the bonds that draw us closer as a sacred community.

For generations, our synagogue has been the backdrop to the most profound moments of our congregants’ lives. At these moments of greatest need or greatest joy, we have been wrapped in the support of our clergy and community. For every one of these moments, modim anachnu lach, I am — indeed, we are — deeply grateful for our WHC family. 

While major lifecycle events naturally rise to the top of our consciousness when thinking of our beloved WHC, what I cherish most is the everyday life of our community: 

Generational Connections: Arriving at High Holy Day and other services alongside grandparents, relatives, and friends, watching my children advance from tot shabbats to family services, and finally to intergenerational services, all along growing their relationships with clergy and across our congregation; 

Inspirational Worship: Joining in services led by extraordinary clergy who comfort and inspire us, who challenge us to consider an issue differently, and who help us become better versions of ourselves;

Lifelong Learning: Experiencing the educational programs that shaped my children from before they could walk into the young adults they are today, as well as the adult programs that provide opportunities to study ancient texts side by side with the issues of our time;

Tikkun Olam: Embracing opportunities to repair the world together, while building relationships across generations, communities and differences — all bound by our shared Jewish values; 

Living our Jewish Values Together: Being part of a community where each of us can proudly live our Jewish values, and ensuring that our community will continue l’dor v dor — from generation to generation.

Modim anachnu lach — I am so very grateful. 

This gratitude feels particularly vital today. We are living through a time when the world feels broken to many of us. We have witnessed traumatic events and many in our community have experienced hardships that are incredibly difficult to navigate. We face seismic shifts in political discourse, a continuing war in the Middle East, and a raging tide of antisemitism. During last year’s High Holy Days, Rabbi Shankman reminded us that, in moments like these, our natural instinct may be to withdraw — but what we truly need is community. 

I believe the WHC community is answering that call. Over the past year, we have come together in growing numbers for worship, learning, tikkun olam, and support for our families in Israel. We have not always agreed on every issue, but we have continued to listen to one another and to debate the issues of our times with deep respect and civility. We have demonstrated that a strong community is not one in which everyone thinks alike; it is one in which people continue to show up, stand together, and support one another. This has been, and remains, one of Washington Hebrew Congregation’s greatest strengths.

Now, we must carry this momentum and this strength into the future. As I begin my presidency, I am mindful that a two-year term is a brief chapter in the history of a congregation approaching its 175th anniversary. Looking forward, my commitment to each of you is both simple and ambitious: that Washington Hebrew Congregation will continue to be a place where each congregant can find belonging; where we gather in meaningful worship and in thoughtful learning; where together, we confront hatred and antisemitism with courage; where we stand with our families in Israel while striving for peace; and where, together, we continue the sacred work of repairing the world.

For the extraordinary moments and the quiet, everyday moments that define Washington Hebrew Congregation — modim anachnu lach — I am deeply grateful. For the privilege of serving our extraordinary community and ensuring its future for the generations to come — modim anachnu lach — I am profoundly grateful. Let us move forward, together, in community.