Endowment

The Fund for Our Future

L’dor va dor

Founded in 1988 by a small group of long-active Reconstructionists in the Bethesda area and by a not much larger group of unaffiliated Jews willing to try something different, Adat Shalom is today a vibrant and purposeful member-led community.

As a member you have shown your commitment to Adat Shalom and to our religious, educational, charitable, social, and recreational activities.  All support Reconstructionist principles in viewing Judaism as an evolving religious civilization in which the honored traditions and values of the past are given modern interpretation and meaning.

L’dor va dor.  From generation to generation.  This theme, central to our unique heritage as Jews, signals the transfer of beliefs, traditions, and memories within a family but expands to demand the same within a community and, indeed, for all Jews across centuries, cultures, and countries.  And so we ask all members of our Adat Shalom community to share in the task of caring for our future generations.  We ask you to assure that those who follow will have the means to strive and thrive.

Gifts

Planned — All planned or legacy gifts will contribute to the Fund for Our Future, unless otherwise directed by the donor.  Please consult your attorney about including Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation in your estate plan.  Planned gifts include but are not limited to bequests, beneficiary designations of life insurance, retirement plans, IRAs, and trusts.  Please consult your accountant or estate planning attorney about the tax advantages of these gifts.

Current — Current gifts designated for the Fund for Our Future are welcome.  They may come from family foundations, an inheritance, or your desire to contribute now.  Please consult your tax advisor about the tax advantages of these gifts.

To speak to a member of the Endowment Committee to help plan your gift, please contact the Adat Shalom office, 301 767-3333 or info@adatshalom.net.  We will forward your request to a member of the Endowment Committee.

Download your Declaration of Intent 5782

Testimonials

Carol & Anthony Garret

“For much of my adult life, I did not belong to a synagogue and, frankly, the memories of my childhood bleached-out Reform synagogue had not motivated me to join one.  So, 20 years ago when my wife, Carol Klinger, expressed a strong desire to join a synagogue, I just went along with the program.  And I am so glad we joined Adat Shalom.

I consider it a great privilege to be a Jew, and feel that much of the meaning, joy and success I have enjoyed in my life emanates from this fact.  Adat Shalom has given me one key address, one touchstone, where I can freely and fully express and experience my   Judaism.  The Adat Shalom community has been there for us when we have been the pictures of good health and when we had serious challenges.  Many individual members have gone the extra mile for us, and been warmly welcoming at onegs and special events.  So, when we sat down to draft our wills it was natural to want to leave a legacy gift to Adat Shalom.

We’re neither rich nor poor.  Of course, we left most of our money to family members.  This past year, tragically, three close friends of mine (ages 45, 64 and 68) passed away.  This can’t help but make me think about what is important and what is not.  Adat Shalom IS important.

Each of us expresses gratitude in his or her own way.  Speaking personally, I urge others to consider leaving a legacy gift to Adat Shalom.  Try it.  You can always change your will, if circumstances demand it.”

Kay and Ira Abram share their story of why to give a legacy gift:

Neither Ira nor I received a religious education that mattered. After having our firstborn son, Daniel, Kay devoted herself to reclaiming her Jewish heritage, including a conversion despite her rightful paternal Jewish identity.

But, exploring synagogues left us feeling inadequate. There was little meaningful about being Jewish until we found the Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation. From the start, we felt embraced and empowered to learn and engage. There was no judgment, no sense of having to qualify as Jews.

As our children grew up in the hands and hearts of the Adat Shalom community, so did we. How often we gratefully exclaimed, “what would we do and where would we be if not for Adat Shalom.” We appreciate that Adat Shalom is so vibrant and that it lives and breaths Judaism, based on Jewish ethics and values.

Thus, it was natural that when we prepared our wills we included a bequest to the Adat Shalom Endowment Fund.

We believe that this is an essential way to assure Adat Shalom continues to sustain our Judaism, be a place that our adult children wish to return to, and can remain a living and caring community that continues to engage and enliven us, and future generations, with Jewish education, activism and spirit.