It’s not every day you see a golden retriever or a poodle mix seated for Shabbat services. But that was the scene outside a Bethesda synagogue Aug. 14.

Every summer for three years now, Congregation Beth El of Montgomery County has hosted Pups in the Parking Lot Shabbat. Members can enjoy an outdoor Friday night service with their canine companions.

It’s pretty much the same as any other Shabbat, except congregants sit in chairs in the parking lot, where Rabbi Deborah Megdal paused mid-service to introduce the dogs in attendance. Water bowls branded with Beth El stickers were stationed around the makeshift “sanctuary.”

“I love seeing people’s dogs,” said Katie Friedman, Beth El’s program coordinator and a lifelong member who organized the event. “I don’t usually get to see them, so it’s fun to see whose dog belongs to who.”

One year, she said a congregant brought a dog dressed in a tie and kippah.

Laura Black and Charles Klein, who recently moved to the area from Baltimore, brought their 10-year-old spaniel-bichon frise mix, Einstein, to Pups in the Parking Lot Shabbat.

Black isn’t sure there’s a concrete tie between dogs and Judaism, but she’s sure of one thing.

“For me, I want a connection,” the new member of Beth El said. “I’m in a new community after [living in] Baltimore for 50 years, and we’re looking for people like us who care about dogs.”

Friedman said Pups in the Parking Lot is a great opportunity to meet fellow members. As Black went around introducing herself to various couples and families before services — “Hi, I’m Laura!” — dogs sniffed one another and pounced playfully.

Once services began, Zoey the golden retriever sat calmly on a chair between her “pawrents” as they opened their siddurim. Wally, a small tan pooch, settled in with his family.

Ori Hoffer, Washington Hebrew Congregation’s communications director, proposed a similar idea at the D.C. Reform shul a few years ago — a “Shabbark Shabbat” in the parking lot — after noticing that many WHC staff members are dog owners.

“I knew a lot of people in the congregation had dogs … and eventually we brought it to the teens, who fell in love with that idea,” Hoffer said.

WHC’s youth group, WHECTY, ran with it, coordinating and hosting the shul’s first annual HavDOGlah in April 2023. This May was the fourth iteration of the event, where attendees noshed on hot dogs and spent quality time with their furry friends and fellow congregants.

“[It’s] open to anyone; it’s a free event,” said Leila Gordon, who oversees WHECTY. “The idea is that congregants and community members can come to our Bindeman Center in Potomac with their dog, without their dog … and can be in community and eat hot dogs and participate in a Havdalah service with one of our clergy.”

Most of the attendees already know each other from WHC, so there’s a sense of familiarity.

“But having the dogs there definitely adds a level of fun and a little bit of playfulness,” Gordon said.

Julia Heimlich, WHC’s communications manager, brought her 5-month-old goldendoodle puppy, Lincoln, to HavDOGlah in a carrier — he wasn’t yet vaccinated.

“It was nice to connect with new faces or people that I may have recognized walking the halls in synagogue, but not necessarily in this outdoor and more casual setting,” Heimlich said. “I think it’s a really good way to bring people [in], especially people who don’t normally come to temple events.”

Perhaps the dog aspect of the special Havdalah service draws a different crowd, she said, adding she made an effort to talk to everyone in attendance.

“It’s nice because having a dog is a vehicle for meeting other people, and it lays a perfect foundation to be able to meet new people just by walking [Lincoln] around the neighborhood [and] these types of events,” Heimlich said. “I definitely meet new people because of him.”

Hoffer, the proud dog dad of 8-year-old Fonzie, was unable to attend HavDOGlah this year, but said he enjoys seeing photos from the annual event.

“When you … see the teens who are holding up the Havdalah candle and leading the service, they’re so happy to be doing that. They get to be in charge,” Hoffer said. “They’re representing themselves and putting their Judaism right out front. And you’re surrounded by dogs, so it’s hard not to be smiling and happy.”

He noted that HavDOGlah stands out from other Havdalah services in one way: the noise and energy level.

“I’m sure some of the dogs were jumping around and barking and interrupting and being distracting, because that’s what dogs do,” Hoffer said. “But [the teens] made it an event that everyone could enjoy and participate in.”

Stacy Miller, a community organizer who runs Stacy’s Social Circles, also seeks to create events that are accessible to dog owners. She’s hosted “bark mitzvah yappy hours” and singles socials for dog lovers and their pets.

“I think that a lot of folks in our community have dogs, and maybe they can’t always make it to an event if they have a dog,” Miller said. “So this is a way that they can still make it to an event in an evening after work, but also bring their dog with them … It’s a new way for young Jewish people to connect with each other,” she said.

Some attendees show up to Miller’s events just to meet dogs with Jewish-inspired names such as Babka or Rugelach.

Stop and Smell the Roses

Heimlich said that while she didn’t adopt a puppy for Jewish reasons per se, Lincoln is a fully participating member of her blended Jewish family — he donned a mini kippah and had a spot at Heimlich’s Passover seder.

She tied dogs to distinctly Jewish themes.

“In a broader sense, I think a lot of Judaism is about pausing and slowing down and appreciating the little things, and I think that having a dog has helped with that a lot,” Heimlich said. “Because [Lincoln is] a puppy, I’m having to pay very close attention to him on walks. Whereas in the past, I might be scrolling on my phone [while] walking, now I’m paying attention to my surroundings, noticing what he’s noticing — the flowers he’s smelling — and I’m like, ‘The world is so beautiful.’ I think that is a lot of what Judaism teaches.”

Raising a puppy or dog “enhances” those teachings, she said.

WHC also embodies tikkun olam — a core tenet of Judaism that means “repairing the world” — by helping animals, according to Hoffer. One of the activities at HavDOGlah was braiding old T-shirts into dog toys to donate to the Montgomery County Animal Services & Adoption Center.

“We’ve made dog toys, we’ve made dog blankets, we’ve done things to support animals as well as humans,” Hoffer said. “At a number of our volunteer events, whether it’s Sunday Stuffing or MLK Day of Service or Mitzvah Day, dog toys are often part of the project mix because we want [to help] every creature in need.”

Speaking of, Hoffer’s Maltipoo enjoys playing with Jewish-themed dog toys — one of his favorites is a musical dreidel that plays the popular Chanukah song when squeezed.

“He had a Passover dog toy set with a cup of wine and a shank bone,” Hoffer said. “It’s one of those things that your parents love to buy for your dog. They say, ‘The dog needs a Chanukah present, too,’ so he gets something.”

Heimlich looks forward to celebrating Lincoln’s first Chanukah this winter.

Dog companionship also ties into the themes of the High Holidays, according to Miller.

“Honoring life and all creatures, that’s what Judaism talks about,” she said. “I think especially this time of year, when we’re reflecting on the past year and the coming year, [we] take more time to kind of be in the moment and be around other living creatures and be playful and fun with them, and dogs offer a lot of joy to a lot of people. We’re celebrating the new year, so I think that’s always a good thing.”

zbell@midatlanticmedia.com