Magen David Sephardic Congregation-Beit Eliahu is a modern Orthodox Synagogue located in Rockville, Maryland. The Synagogue is located in a beautiful residential area, close to NIH, the Jewish Community Center, 5 Jewish Day Schools, a community mikveh, and the cultural and business district of Washington DC.
The membership of Magen David spans many generations. The congregation, which was founded in 1966, has a long history of proud service to the Washington Metropolitan area, and the Sephardic community.
For more information on membership, please contact the office.
Magen David Sephardic Congregation-Beit Eliahu is very fortunate to have the services of Rabbi Joshua Maroof as their Rabbi.
The Synagogue is a warm and inviting family, with many opportunities for involvement. It is a place where children and adults are able to come together to explore and grow in their commitment to Judaism. The Sephardic Institution serves as the focal point for the broader Sephardic community, and as the focal point in the lives of members.
For more information visit: http://www.magendavidsephardic.org/
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The Jewish religion is both spiritual and worldly. That is one of its definining characteristics as well as its strengths. There is a tendency among many Christians to believe in a delayed gratification where God will reward the righteous after they have died, and that they cannot expect anything but pain and suffering in this life. Judaism is different: God shows his pleasure or displeasure in this life – it is not about reward in the next life. It is about following the laws of Yahweh and benefitting from a righteous life here and now. Of course, as Job discovered it is not always clear what God’s intentions are regarding us. We cannot question he who is infinitely wise.
This wordliness of the Judaic faith has no doubt contributed to the material wealth of many jewish people. There is nothing wrong with making money to look after your family and to give your kids a good education and a head start in life.
Young Israelis today have a tough time. They have to learn bravery and have to experience the danger and uncertainty of combat. The compulsory time in the Israeli army is not some exercise to build muscles as it is in many European countries. Rather it is an ongoing struggle to protect the homeland.
When young Israelis finish their time in the army many are apt to leave the country and go traveling. That is fine. It is good to see the world while you are young. Many end up in South East Asia and in Thailand in particular. One popular event is the full moon beach party in Koh Phangan. it is an event that attracts thousands of party goers, and may Israelis.
Despite the obvious pagan connotations in celebrating the moon changes, what is more important is that young Israelis refrain from taking drugs and otherwise letting themselves down at the party. It is OK to have a good time – not to abuse the hospitality of a host country. Also if the full moon falls on the Sabbath then it is wrong to dance all night and break the laws of Moses.
Although the vast majority of Thailand is Theravada Buddhist, it is a country that is mostly tolerant of other religions. 94.6% of the Thai population are Buddhist. 4.6% are Muslim. There are small communities of Sikh and Hindus in some of the cities. The large Chinese ethnic population, although also Buddhist, have introduced ancestor worship to Thailand. Moreover, within Thai culture it seems likely that rituals concerning spirit houses and ghosts probably pre-date the introduction of Buddhism.
It is interesting to note that there has been a Jewish community in Thailand since the Seventeenth Century. The original Jewish commnity in Thailand were from Baghdad. Now the 1,000 or so jews in Thailand are from Russia and Persia. The Russians fleeing the intolerance of Stalin; and the Persians fleeing persecution in Iran in the 1970s and 1980s.
Khao Lak on the Andaman coast is notable for its sizeable communities of Moken or Sea Gypsies. These nomadic people have partly settled in Khao Lak and islands just off the coast. There is one community in the Surin Islands. The Moken has an animist religion, but Thai educators in the Moken villages have been accused of introducing Buddhist statues into the communities to try and convert the Moken.
The religious mix of Khao Lak does not stop there. In the south of Phang-Nga there is Koh Panyi, or the floating island. It is an island composed of bungalows on stilts. the inhabitants also lead isolated lives like the Moken and are Muslim.
On the island of Koh Kho Khao a number of important relics have been unearthed at Thung Tuk. These include a Ganesh statue that attests to the importance of Hinduism in the histroy of the region. Nearby at Taku Pa there is a stone next to a Vishnu statue with Indian Tamil writing.
In some respects Khao Lak and Phang-Nga is a microcosm of the religious diversity present once you scratch under the surface of Thai culture.
Where does the idea that cleanliness is next to Godliness come from? If you look back through literature, you’ll see many instances where the ’bad guys’ are labelled as being dirty or filthy in their appearance. As far back as ancient Greece, a persons lack of cleanliness was used to mark the out as inhumane or alien. I believe a lot of this prejudice came directly from the authors who saw themselves as the polar opposite of these unspeakable creatures.
Over time it became an easy way to distinguish between the haves and the have nots. Those who held all the power and wealth enjoyed nothing more than to pour scorn on the peasants whose only way to survive involved getting dirty in order to scratch out a living. Throughout hundreds of years, cleanliness has become a marker of worth and has ascribed social status on those with power – and the church has always been populated by the world’s most powerful.
As archaic as all this may sound, it continues to spill over into modern day life and we still all suffer from subliminal messages the cleanliness is good. It’s might be why we buy so much soap and deodorant, and it’s undoubtedly why you’re searching for the best electric shaver you can find. It might seem difficult to believe, but one reason we all like to groom ourselves the best we can is because it is ingrained in our psyche to do so.
Voting is a privilege. So with the electoral campaigns in full swing you need to ensure that every vote that is cast on the ballot counts. To express support and preference over one option to the other – this is the ultimate exercise of the right to freedom of choice. To protect voters rights, voting is done with the utmost privacy – referred to as a “secret ballot” – to ensure certain anonymity so that the voter will be at ease with expressing his or her political opinion.
In many countries people do not have the right to vote. All Americans of faith should thus treasure this right and exercise it at every opportunig. As a voter, here are some of the things that you should do:
Research The Candidates
Gather sufficient political information that is credible and objective so that you’ll be able to make an informed vote. A basic understanding of the candidates’ electoral platforms and philosophy will be of great help.
Register To Vote
Information on voting precincts and voter information is now made available online. So before you go to the precinct polls, make sure that your name is listed on the electoral roles so that on voting day you do not run into any paperwork issues.
Know Where and How To Vote
It’s always important to know where you’re going to on the big day. Always bring a valid ID with photo in case the voting officials wish to see it.
The most important thing is that you go to the voting precinct ready to vote and do your civic duty. Follow your heart and do not let others influence your voting decisions.
Thailand is a country that is 95% Theravada Buddhist. Buddhism became the official state religion of Thailand in the Thirteenth Century AD with the establishment of the Thai Kingdom of Sukhothai. One of the most common sites in Thailand is to see Buddhidt monks in orange robes walking around. In the morning it is possible to see the monks go from shop to shop with a bowl collecting food contributions. It is still the tradition for every young male to spend at least a week (it used to be months) living as a monk so as to accrue good karma for his parents. On the surface, Thailand appears to be a very Buddhist country.
However, the Buddhist beliefs of Thailand are very much mixed up with Chinese religious and folk ideas. 15% of the Thai population claim mixed Thai and Chinese ancestry. The prevalence of spirit houses to appease and worship the dead are an example of the Chinese influence on Thai religious belief. Throughout Thailand it is possible to find Chinese temples. There are notable Chinese temples in Nathon in Koh Samui and on the neighboring island of Koh Phangan on the road between Thongsala and Chaloklum. Since these temples also celebrate the Buddha there seems little contradiction in attending both traditional Thai wats with sharply slanting roofs and Chinese temples decorated with colorful dragon motifs.
On the same island of Koh Phangan there is a small community of muslims centered around the popular holiday area of Ban Tai. Some still wear white caps to denote their religion, most don’t. It seems unlikely that many of the Thai people in these isolated muslim communities speak Arabic or worship in Arabic.
The situation is different in the southern most states of Thailand – Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani. Here there is a large Malay community who want to separate from Thailand and align themselves with muslim Malaysia over the border. There is an on-going insurgency with an escalating death toll. Neither the hardline approach of the ousted Thaksin government or the conciliatory approach of the Democrat lead Abhisit Vejjajiva government has managed to bring peace to the region.
Religious differences are of pressing concern in the south of Thailand. For the tourist to the south of Thailand it may seem like a peaceful and idyllic area, but at the same time religious strife has caused division and loss of life.