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OY, I'M TAKING A GROUP TO WASHINGTON, DC!Don't panic, help is here. Below are links that address the most common questions trip organizers have about bringing a Jewish group tour to the Nation's Capital. |
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The following areas will be addressed below:
Trip Ideas:
http://www.thedistrict.com/placestogo.html - An excellent collection of museums, monuments, memorials. The links here go to each attraction’s actual site. Obviously you don’t want to miss the Smithsonian, one of the world’s finest museums (admission is free). One of my favorites is the Museum of the American Indian, DC’s newest Smithsonian addition. Many tie-ins to Jewish history and tradition come to mind when witnessing the history of Native Americans. Lee Saal suggests a visit to some old shuls in DC, such as the Small Synagogue, near the Nat'l Building Museum, and the "Sixth & I Synagogue" near Chinatown (phone for the latter is 202 408 3100). http://www.baltimore.org/ - stuff to do in nearby Baltimore, MD. Of particular interest are the National Aquarium (expensive but gorgeous), Babe Ruth Museum, B&O Railroad Museum. http://www.nps.gov/fomc/ - Lee Saal contributes this: Fort McHenry in Baltimore is great for a historical perspective (the National Anthem was written on a ship witnessing its bombardment in the War of 1812) and has great views of Baltimore. There's a place to picnic, an inspiring film and a fabulous fort to explore. The park rangers will also do a flag unfurling ceremony when the weather is not too severe. This unrolling of a giant American flag never fails to awe the students.
Ideas for the evening:
Jewish Crossroads is a one-man educational theater project run by Shlomo Horwitz and presented all over North America and England to schools and to adult audiences. Horwitz has over 20 programs and becomes dozens of different characters that interact with and inform each audience about topics in Jewish History, Values and Culture, drawing in audience members to participate into improvised skits. Because he lives in Baltimore, he is able to provide his services to visiting groups at a substantial discount over his normal ‘out-of-town’ fees. He will come to your group’s location on weekday evenings or any time on a Sunday. Click here for more information and references.
Kashrut resources:
www.capitolk.org/ - Rabbinical Council of Greater Washington. Check this site for the latest listing of kosher establishments and caterers in the DC area. Sometimes referred to as The Vaad. www.star-k.org/ - Also known as the Vaad Hakashrus. Based in Baltimore, this agency provides supervision for kosher establishments and caterers in Baltimore and elsewhere. Check this site for the latest listing.
Minyanim:
http://godaven.com/browseminyan.asp?City=Washington – lists shuls in DC
http://godaven.com/browseminyan.asp?City=Silver+Spring – lists shuls in Silver Spring, MD (a suburb)
http://godaven.com/browseminyan.asp?City=Baltimore – lists shuls in Baltimore (an hour north)
http://myzmanim.com/day.aspx?vars=US20016 – Z’manim for the area
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