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August 1, 2018

Jill Finci – Administrative Assistant

Jill Finci - Administrative Assistant

Jill Finci is a native Washingtonian and first heard about TBANS when she was looking for a preschool for her first child. She enrolled her daughter in 1989, the first year TBANS started. Many years later, after staying home to raise children, Jill answered an ad to be the TBANS Administrative Assistant. Now, Jill coordinates the inner workings of the school, monitoring the entrance, tracking all student records, informing parents about events and procedures, and more! Jill is the smiling face that greets children and families every day. Jill and her husband, Rick, have three children who all attended TBANS. Jill is an avid runner and enjoys watching the Capitals, and her favorite college sports teams, the UMD Terps and UGA Bulldogs!

August 1, 2018

Shavuot

Sunday, June 1 – Monday, June 2

Shavuot celebrates the Revelation at Mount Sinai, where God gave Moses and Israel the Ten Commandments and the Torah. There is a beautiful Shavuot custom, called a tikkun leil Shavuot, which literally means “healing on the evening of Shavuot.” What is the source of this Shavuot healing? The study of Torah, so that our souls may be refreshed and refocused. Traditionally this activity lasts all night until the sun rises.

About Shavuot
Shavuot is the Hebrew word for “weeks” and refers to the Jewish festival marking the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, which occurs seven weeks after Passover. Shavuot, like many other Jewish holidays, began as an ancient agricultural festival that marked the end of the spring barley harvest and the beginning of the summer wheat harvest. In ancient times, Shavuot was a pilgrimage festival during which Israelites brought crop offerings to the Temple in Jerusalem. Today, it is a celebration of Torah, education, and actively choosing to participate in Jewish life.

It is customary to eat dairy foods on Shavuot, such as cheese blintzes and cheesecake. While the origin of this custom is unknown, dairy dishes symbolize the sweetness of the Torah and the Jewish people’s nearing the land of “milk and honey.”It is also customary to study the Torah during the night of Shavuot, in preparation for the revelation at Sinai the next morning. This late-night study session is called a Tikkun Leil Shavuot. Additionally, in many synagogues, Shavout is linked with confirmation, marking a milestone in our children’s formal religious education.

August 1, 2018

Passover

View the 2025/5785 Passover Events

The Yizkor prayers offer a sacred moment to honor and remember loved ones who have passed. We invite you to download the Yizkor Book for Yom Kippur. We hope that this book will serve as a meaningful tribute to loved ones who are no longer with us.

Download the Yizkor Book here.

Shop online at WTBA's Judaica Shop for all of your Passover needs!

About Passover

Pesach, known as Passover in English, is a major Jewish spring festival, commemorating the Exodus from Egypt over 3,000 years ago. The ritual observance of this holiday centers around a special home service called the seder (meaning “order”) and a festive meal; the prohibition of chametz (leaven); and the eating of matzah (an unleavened bread). On the fifteenth day of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar, Jews gather with family and friends in the evening to read from a book called the haggadah, meaning “telling,” which contains the order of prayers, rituals, readings, and songs for the Passover seder. Today, the holiday is a celebration of freedom and family.

Sticker and Icon Project - Version 1 (2)

August 1, 2018

Purim

Purim is March 2-3, 2026 Click on the Events Below for More Details

Fulfill one of the mitzvot of Purim by ordering, picking up, and delivering Mishloach Manot (Purim Gift Bags) to your loved ones!

Order Your Bags Today

Giving Mishloach Manot is the tradition of giving gifts of food to friends and family on Purim. It is one of the four mitzvot associated with Purim:

Hearing the Megillah: Reading the Scroll of Esther
Giving to the Needy: Helping others (Matanot l’Evyonim)
Exchanging Food Gifts: (Mishloach Manot)
Celebratory Feast: A festive meal (Seudat Purim)

Each bag is $10. Each Purim gift bag will come complete with four (4) delicious hamantaschen from Sunflower Bakery along with an assortment of individually wrapped treats. Regular & Gluten-Free options available! ALL gift bags are NUT-FREE

ALL Gift Bags MUST be picked up from Temple March 12 – 16

View the 2024 Purim Shpiels

Our community is excited to present Esther Enchanted, a fairy tale that combines the story of Purim with music from Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, infused with tunes from other fairytales like Enchanted, Tangled, and The Descendants. This one-of-a-kind Purim spiel features our very own TBA community members, who have put in countless hours of rehearsals and preparations to make this a memorable experience for all. This was originally performed on March 16 and March 17.

Enjoy a recorded presentation of “If the DJ’s a-rockin’ don’t come a-knockin’” shpiel which grooves to the tunes of the 1950s-1970s as we infuse the spirit of those decades into an evening of joyous celebration. Originally performed the evening of Saturday, March 23.

About Purim

Purim is celebrated with a public reading—usually in the synagogue—of the Book of Esther (M’gillat Esther), which tells the story of the holiday. Under the rule of King Ahashverosh, Haman, the king’s prime minister, plots to exterminate all of the Jews of Persia. His plan is foiled by Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai, who ultimately save the Jews of Persia from destruction.

The reading of the m’gillah typically is a rowdy affair, punctuated by booing and noise-making when Haman’s name is read aloud.

Purim is an unusual holiday in many respects. First, Esther is the only biblical book in which God is not mentioned. Second, Purim, like Hanukkah, traditionally is viewed as a minor festival, but elevated to a major holiday as a result of the Jewish historical experience. Over the centuries, Haman became the embodiment of every anti-Semite in every land where Jews were oppressed. The significance of Purim lies not so much in how it began, but in what it has become: a thankful and joyous affirmation of Jewish survival against all odds.