The Davis Center for Social Justice

Davis Center Docs: Screening of "Credible Fear"
2026-02-01 15:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York)
The Davis Center for Social Justice at Temple Sinai is proud to present the latest in our Davis Center Docs series.
Please join us for a sneak preview of several scenes from “Credible Fear”, a work-in-progress documentary about immigrant rights directed by local DC filmmaker Gabrielle Ewing. Through one woman’s harrowing personal account of escaping brutal gang violence in Guatemala, “Credible Fear” reveals a complex, rarely seen portrait of the ongoing immigration crisis in the US and explores how the asylum process consistently fails the people it was designed to protect.
A panel discussion and Q & A will follow this advance screening. Panelists include:

Gabrielle Ewing, documentary filmmaker and director of “Credible Fear”,
Amy C. Roma, Partner, Hogan Lovells, attorney featured in “Credible Fear”,
Sarah Pierce, Director of Social Policy at Third Way,
Yael Schacher, Director for the Americas and Europe, Refugees International, and
Moderated by Royce Murray, Former Assistant Secretary for Border and Immigration Policy at the Department of Homeland Security.

You don’t want to miss this incredibly moving and timely event!
Note: this event is recommended for age 18+ due to the sensitivity and nature of the material.
Please register in advance

Tu B'Shvat Seder
2026-02-01 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York)
Celebrate Tu BiSh’vat, the Jewish “New Year for Trees,” with a meaningful evening honoring nature and spiritual growth. Cantor Rhodes will lead a Tu BiSh’vat Seder followed by a vegetarian potluck dinner and an opportunity to hear from guest speaker Mike Tidwell, Executive Director, Chesapeake Climate Action Network.
6:00 to 6:30: 30-minute Seder led by Cantor Rhodes

Tu B’Shvat is the Jewish “New Year for Trees.” This holiday celebrates nature’s beauty, calls us to our responsibility to care for the earth, and open the journey into our own spiritual growth. During the seder, we eat symbolic fruits and nuts, each representing aspects of the natural and spiritual world: fruits with inedible peels (protection and physicality), fruits with edible peels (balance of inner and outer worlds), nuts (spiritual potential), and dried fruits (wisdom and life’s cycles). We offer blessings of gratitude for the earth’s abundance, reflecting on our connection to creation and our duty to nurture it. As we share this meal, we renew our appreciation for nature’s gifts and commit to planting seeds of kindness, growth, and environmental stewardship.

6:30 to 7:00: Potluck dinner

Attendees are asked to bring a vegetarian side dish or dessert, according to the first letter of the attendee’s last name. (A-P bring side dish; Q-Z bring dessert)

7:00 to 7:30: Guest speaker, Mike Tidwell, Executive Director, Chesapeake Climate Action Network

Tidwell is a journalist, author, and climate activist living in Takoma Park, MD. His most recent book is an exploration of global warming’s impact in his own front yard, called The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue: A story of Climate and Hope on One American Street (St. Martin’s Press, March 2025).

Please register in advance

Serve with Sinai: DC Diaper Bank
2026-02-10 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-03-24 10:00 - 12:00 UTC
Volunteer alongside your fellow congregants while repacking and bundling diapers for the DC Diaper Bank’s clients. You will meet at the DC Diaper Bank warehouse (8860 Monard Drive).
Register

Jews Against ICE Action
2026-02-11 13:30 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Please join Rabbi Goldstein for an upcoming Jewish-led action that will make visible the powerful Jewish opposition to ICE’s cruel and destructive immigration enforcement system.
ICE is killing civilians, separating families, kidnapping students, and racially profiling and targeting vulnerable communities. As Jews, we know in our bones and through our moral teachings, that this cruelty and injustice must stop.
Location: Outside ICE Headquarters, 500 12th St SW, Washington, DC
Temple Sinai is proud to support this action alongside our friends at T’ruah, Bend the Arc, and other cosponsors listed here. Show up to learn, pray, and act together. Over 100 Jewish clergy, leaders of our communities, are coming together from across the country to lead this event. And – we need your help to make it a success! Please bring a shofar if you have one!
Learn more here
Let us know if you plan to attend!

Repro / TSWRJ Shabbat
2026-02-13 18:30 - 20:30 (America/New_York)
The Davis Center’s Reproductive Health & Rights Group and Temple Sinai Women of Reform Judaism will join together in celebrating Repro/TSWRJ Shabbat on February 13th at 6:30 pm, honoring the Jewish value of reproductive freedom.
We are delighted to welcome Allison Tombros Korman, Founder and Executive Director of the Red Tent Fund as our guest speaker. The Red Tent Fund is a national abortion fund rooted in the Jewish teachings that affirm the right to abortion for all.
At the service we will honor TSWRJ leaders and Temple members who provide, advocate for, educating about, and protest for abortion and reproductive health care.
During the Oneg following services, attendees will be encouraged to write postcards to Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in response to the Administration’s recent actions targeting medication abortion and access to mifepristone. Attendees will also have the opportunity to create handwritten encouragement cards that will accompany the care items we are donating to abortion patients at CARE Reproductive Health Care. (Learn more about the project here, under “Fundraising”.)
Celebrate TSWRJ/Repro Shabbat in song by joining the pop-up choir! No prior music training necessary- just come sing with us. We will meet at 6pm to rehearse and will sing during the service that evening. To RSVP, please email Gail Sell.

Serve with Sinai: A Wider Circle
2026-02-19 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-03-19 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-04-16 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-05-21 10:00 - 12:00 UTC
Volunteer at A Wider Circle (9159 Brookville Road in Silver Spring) on the third Thursday of each month, 10 am – 12 pm with your fellow members – all congregants are invited to join. Lunch is not included in this program but those interested in going to Parkway Deli afterwards are more than welcome!
If you have questions, please contact Jim Jaffe or Ed Cohen.
Register

Antisemitism on College Campuses: The Current State
2026-02-19 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York)
Please join Temple Sinai’s Antisemitism Working Group for a thoughtful and timely discussion on antisemitism on college campuses, featuring Washington Post religion reporter Michelle Boorstein, GW political science professor and former provost Forrest Maltzman, and attorney Baruch Weiss. The conversation will be moderated by Mike Abramowitz.
This promises to be a thought-provoking evening. We hope you can join us in person on February 19 from 7pm to 8:30pm and stay for some snacks and beer at 8:30pm! Please email Pam Kurland with questions.
Please register in advance
Note: This program is in-person only and will not be recorded.

Serve with Sinai: So Others Might Eat
2026-02-22 06:30 - 09:30, 2026-03-22 06:30 - 09:30, 2026-04-26 06:30 - 09:30, 2026-05-24 06:30 - 09:30 UTC
Join other Temple Sinai volunteers in serving breakfast at So Others Might Eat (71 O Street, NW) on the 4th Sunday of the month from 6:30am – 9:30am – all congregants are invited to join! Please register at least a week in advance. We have a limited number of volunteer slots and they sometimes fill up. *Once signed up, you will receive instructions for how to register as a volunteer with SOME.
​If you have questions, please contact Wendy Kahn at wlkahn44@gmail.com.
REGISTER

JUFJ Labor Seder at Temple Sinai
2026-03-22 15:30 - 17:30 (America/New_York)
All of Us Are Free: JUFJ Labor Seder at Temple Sinai!
Each spring, hundreds of people in the Jews United for Justice community come together to retell the story of Passover and take action toward collective liberation right now. Temple Sinai is excited to be hosting this year!
Join us on Sunday, March 22 at 3:30 PM for “Until All Of Us Are Free,” a seder about democracy.

Democracy is an ancient Jewish value, a central principle of labor organizing, and a crucial piece of so many of the struggles that JUFJ and our partners engage in, from DC home rule to local control of Baltimore’s police department to voting rights in Virginia.
Tickets are $36 or pay-what-you-can. Sponsorships start at $180 and include two or more tickets — many also include ad space in the Haggadah.
Get your tickets at jufj.org/seder.

Cards and Coffee Social: Reproductive Health & Rights
2026-03-25 09:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York)
Cards and Coffee Social: Wednesday, March 25, anytime between 9 am and 11am
Stop by the member lounge to socialize, have a cup of coffee and snacks with Temple Sinai’s Reproductive Health and Rights Group. AND while you are there, write a couple of postcards to HHS Secretary RFK Jr. to urge him to keep medication abortion legal and accessible.
Every postcard is a reminder that our community is engaged and paying attention to ongoing restrictions on reproductive rights.
Please register to give us an idea of how many people to expect. See you then!

Refugee Shabbat with Rabbi Jill Avrin
2026-03-27 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York)
Join us on Friday, March 27 for Refugee Shabbat where we will honor refugees, asylum seekers, and displaced people. At this time when immigrants are being targeted, we will learn from other communities who have stood up with their neighbors in order to educate and mobilize our local community. We will welcome Rabbi Jill Avrin, Director of Campus Affairs at the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas.
Rabbi Avrin’s work addressing the ICE surge in Minnesota has included organizing and attending interfaith gatherings and vigils, protesting, advocacy, education, and mutual aid efforts. She helped host the 700 clergy who came to Minnesota in January with MARCH, including national leaders from the Reform movement. She has been protesting at the Whipple building where detainees are still being held, as well as at her local suburban protests. Rabbi Avrin has always centered social justice as a primary part of her portfolio as a rabbi. She was co-chair of the Minnesota Rabbinical Association in 2020, when George Floyd was murdered, and helped organize the Minnesota Jewish community’s united response at that time. In recent months, she has taken a lead role in addressing Operation Metro Surge through her work at JCRC and YourJewish.
Our Oneg, starting at 6pm, will feature food from Emma’s Torch, a local organization that equips refugees with the skills and confidence to create meaningful careers in the food industry through their culinary training programs. John Odenwelder, Executive Director of Washington English Center, our tzedakah recipient for the month of March, also plans to attend the Oneg.
***Poster supplies will be available at the Oneg for those who want to make a poster for the No Kings Rally on Saturday, March 28. Learn more here

No Kings Rally: Connecticut Ave & Military Road
2026-03-28 10:30 - 11:30 (America/New_York)
Temple Sinai will gather at the corner of Connecticut Avenue and Military Road on Saturday, March 28, 10:30am – 11:30am with signs and energy to protest “No Kings”! Join us for Refugee Shabbat services on Friday, March 27 – we will have materials to make posters for the rally.
Please register if interested.

Multiracial Sinai Kehillat Shabbat Service
2026-04-04 10:30 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
Are we as welcoming as we believe ourselves to be?
On the yahrzeit of Martin Luther King Jr., Temple Sinai’s Multiracial Sinai Committee invites you to join us for a Shabbat of reflection, music, and honest conversation.
We are honored to welcome Rabbi Isaama Goldstein-Stoll, who grew up at Temple Sinai and now serves as a national URJ leader committed to affirming and celebrating Jewish diversity. Rabbi Isaama will offer the d’var Torah, inviting us to consider how we create space for Jews of color and multiracial Jewish families—and where we may still have room to grow.
This year, MRS partners with Kehillat Shabbat, Temple Sinai’s lay-led twice-monthly Shabbat minyan. Music will be led by Anita Stoll, featuring melodies that reflect the rich cultural diversity of the Jewish people, reminding us that Jewish identity has always spanned continents, languages, and lived experiences.
Dr. King’s legacy challenges communities of faith not only to speak about justice, but to embody it. On this Shabbat during Pesach, as we celebrate the “mixed multitude” marching from Egyptian bondage, we strive to look inward with courage and outward with compassion as we continue shaping a synagogue grounded in belonging.
A Kosher-for-Passover lunch will follow, offering time for connection and conversation around the table. Please RSVP to help us plan.
All are welcome as we continue working toward a community where everyone can feel at home.
Click here for livestream

Serve with Sinai: Goody Bags for Kids
2026-04-12 10:15 - 11:15 (America/New_York)
Our Serve With Sinai initiative is offering another direct service project for volunteers of all ages. Timed between religious school sessions so you can join your kids either before the late session or after the early one.
Our work on that Sunday will benefit Goods for Good, which sponsors children’s birthday parties at local shelters. Together, we will create 125 age-appropriate goodie bags filled with small toys, fun surprises, and festive touches, all meant to help mark birthdays for children who are residents connected to shelters or under-resourced, low-income communities in the DC area. To make the celebrations even sweeter, Serve with Sinai will also coordinate cupcakes to be shared at these community birthday gatherings.
Join us to help make birthday celebrations a little sweeter for some of our young neighbors!
Advanced registration required
REGISTER HERE

Advocacy Playdate with Jews United for Justice
2026-04-12 15:30 - 17:00 (America/New_York)
Join Jews United for Justice (JUFJ) staff and volunteers and Rabbi Goldstein for a “Playdate with JUFJ” at Temple Sinai on Sunday, April 12th at 3:30 pm – 5 pm.
Come for a playdate where kids can play and you can learn about JUFJ’s parent focused advocacy efforts, including support for the Pay Equity Fund for Early Childhood educators and Paid Family Leave. Both of these programs are at risk of being scaled back, so join JUFJ as they outline how you can get involved and help support these critically important resources! Snacks and beverages will be served. Questions? Contact Abi Shakur at abi.shakur@jufj.org.
Let us know you’re coming by registering here!

Building Our Power for DC's 2026 Elections
2026-04-19 14:00 - 15:30 (America/New_York)
Building our Power and Voice in DC 2026 Elections
Everyone’s been talking about the midterms but it’s also a big year for elections in DC with open seats for mayor, at-large members of the DC Council, and delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives. Although Washington Interfaith Network (WIN) (and Temple Sinai) does not endorse candidates, we are working to make sure that all candidates are accountable to our demands for racial and economic justice.
At this interactive session, we’ll learn about threats to the city and share thoughts on the most important issues for DC decision makers to address. Then, led by Rabbi Goldstein, we’ll join other WIN congregations for a citywide action with candidates on Sunday May 17.
DC and MD residents are welcome at both events; let’s build power together!
Babysitting may be available if there is interest; please indicate on your registration form.
REGISTER

What's at Stake: Montgomery County Primary
2026-04-19 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-04-28 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York)
Join Jews United for Justice and area congregations for a non-partisan conversation on What’s at Stake in the Montgomery County Primary Election. We’ll break down what positions are up for election, who’s running, how public financing works, and so much more. Join us on April 19 (in person at Shaare Torah) or April 28 (on Zoom)!
Temple Sinai is a proud co-sponsor of this program.
Please register at the links below.
Sunday, April 19 at 2:00 PM, in person at Shaare Torah in Gaithersburg
Register
Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00 PM, on Zoom
Register

Jews Demand: ICE OUT of DC!
2026-04-30 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
On April 30, Jews around the country will gather to demand ICE OUT. We stand with immigrants and reject ICE brutality and violence. We want ICE out of our schools and workplaces, out of our parks and streets, out of our places of worship, and out of communities everywhere. Grounded in our sacred teachings, we will make the moral case that this system is both a failure of policy and of conscience, and that it does not have to be this way. Temple Sinai is a proud co-sponsor of this event.
This action will meet in front of the offices of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at 500 12th Street, SW.
Join us in DC to say Jews demand: ICE Out!
REGISTER HERE and then email Jenny Cohen at jcohen@templesinaidc.org to let us know you plan to attend. We will be in touch regarding a plan to meet at the Metro and travel down together.

WTF: Washington's Totally Fine!
2026-05-07 19:00 - 21:00 UTC
We are feeling the weight of these unprecedented times in Washington, DC. Join us to learn about what is happening from experts in our Temple Sinai congregation and spend time with our community. The evening will begin with a panel of Sinai members representing a broad range of perspectives, reflecting on how current events are impacting our community and our city.
Panelists are:

Libby Anker, Professor of American Studies and Political Science at GW University,
Becca Kelly Slaughter, Former Commissioner of the United States Federal Trade Commission,
Sam Stein, Managing Editor for the media company The Bulwark, and a contributor for MSNBC,
Steve Vladeck, Professor at Georgetown Law Center, author of NYT bestseller “The Shadow Docket”
William Wechsler, Senior Director of the Rafik Hariri Center and Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council.

The panel will be followed by pizza, beer and a chance to keep talking to each other. Join us for an evening of learning, networking, and conspiring.
While we hope you can join us in person, the panel portion of the program can be viewed virtually. Please indicate your preference when you register.
REGISTER

Sinai House Homes & Hearts: Family Shabbat Dinner & Service
2026-05-08 17:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York)
Join us for Shabbat as we celebrate Sinai House.

Tricia Davis 5K for Sinai House
2026-05-10 07:45 - 10:00 (America/New_York)
Celebrate Mother’s Day with us at the 12th Annual Tricia Davis 5K for Sinai House in Rock Creek Park. Ample, free parking is available, and strollers and dogs are welcome.

Raise Your Voice, Show Your Power: WIN Action
2026-05-17 15:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York)
It’s election season in DC and the Washington Interfaith Network (WIN) is raising its voice and showing its power to candidates in races for mayor, city council at large, and DC delegate. On Sunday May 17, WIN will gather 1,000 members of congregations citywide to show candidates our power and ask for them to commit to our campaigns for racial and economic justice. All you have to do is show up and demonstrate that you care about affordable housing, the plight of the unhoused, immigration enforcement, public safety and violence prevention, and DC home rule.
Temple Sinai has committed to bringing 50 members to this event which will take place from 3 to 5 pm at Union Temple Baptist Church at 1225 W Street SE. The church is a 10 minute walk from the Anacostia Metro station (just one stop past Navy Yard/Nats Park) and we’ll plan on going by Metro together.
REGISTER HERE
