Mishkan Torah

What Mishkan Torah does

Mishkan Torah is a non-profit Conservative and Reconstructionist synagogue located at 10 Ridge Road in Greenbelt, Maryland, serving Jewish families across the Greater Washington metropolitan area. Founded in 1939 as the Greenbelt Hebrew Congregation and renamed Mishkan Torah in 1968, it is documented as the only synagogue in the United States physically built by its own members, with the building dedicated on March 20, 1955 after construction by government workers, chemists, lawyers, engineers, and mathematicians with no prior construction experience. The congregation is dually affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ) and the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation (JRF), and was among the first in the Greater Washington area to extend full religious participation to women in 1973. The organization maintains approximately 5 staff, led by Rabbi Saul Oresky (since August 2017) with Cantor Yael Fischman and Cantor Emeritus Phil Greenfield.

The synagogue's core offerings include weekly hybrid Shabbat services (Friday 8:00 PM, Saturday 9:45 AM, blending Conservative and Reconstructionist formats), High Holiday services, the Karp Family Hebrew School (kindergarten through middle school, with a free first year and $525/year thereafter), adult education classes, the Young Families Program, Book Club, Theater J Club, a Judaica gift shop, the Chesed (Loving Kindness) Committee for member support, and Social Action programs. The technology stack is deliberately lightweight: Zoom for hybrid services, Google Suite for forms and documents, and online payment processing via credit card, PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle. No proprietary technology, mobile app, or API exists.

Revenue is generated through a tiered membership model (Family, Single, Young Couple, Student, and Dor l'Dor — annual dues with High Holiday tickets included), suggested High Holiday donations from non-members ($500/adult, $60/child, or $250/household on Zoom), Hebrew School tuition, memorial plaque sponsorships ($400 members / $500 non-members), and general donations including the Rabbi Jonathan Cohen Memorial Fund. The organization holds Czech Memorial Torah scroll MST #4 from Vlašim on permanent loan from the Memorial Scrolls Trust, restored to kosher ritual use in 2017. Distribution is direct: in-person attendance at the synagogue or via Zoom, with no intermediary channels.

Name

Mishkan Torah

Legal name

Mishkan Torah

Website

https://mishkantorah.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1939

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mishkan Torah is a non-profit Conservative-Reconstructionist synagogue in Greenbelt, Maryland, serving Jewish families in the MD/DC area with hybrid Shabbat and High Holiday services, the Karp Family Hebrew School, adult education, and community programs. It is the only U.S. synagogue physically built by its members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Congregation Services (Synagogue)

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

Keywords

• Religious congregation services
• Jewish education programs
• Community programming
• Hebrew school tuition
• Membership dues

Headquarters

HQ city

Greenbelt

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees with multiple tiers including Family, Single, Young Couple, Student, and Dor lDor categories. Membership includes High Holiday tickets and affiliations with USCJ and JRF.
2. Donations and Tzedakah: General donations and memorial fund contributions. Includes Rabbi Jonathan Cohen Memorial Fund and other special funds.
3. Memorial Plaques: Memorial plaque sponsorship at $400 for members and $500 for non-members, displayed in the synagogue lobby.
4. High Holiday Donations: Suggested donations for High Holiday services: $500 per adult non-member, $60 per child/student non-member, or $250 per household on Zoom. $200 per adult and $36 per student for additional family members.
5. Hebrew School Tuition: Hebrew school education fees. Free for first year, $525/year thereafter for older elementary/middle school class.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Mishkan Torah is a Conservative-Reconstructionist synagogue providing weekly hybrid Shabbat services, High Holiday services, Hebrew and adult Jewish education, lifecycle and pastoral support, and a broad slate of community programming (Young Families, Book Club, Chesed, Social Action). Revenue is generated through tiered annual membership dues, Hebrew School tuition, High Holiday donations, memorial plaque sponsorships, and general donations from members and the broader Jewish community in the MD/DC area.

Product overview

Mishkan Torah is a community-oriented Conservative and Reconstructionist synagogue offering a comprehensive suite of religious, educational, and social programs. The core offerings include weekly hybrid Shabbat services (in-person and via Zoom), High Holiday services, and the Karp Family Hebrew School for children. The congregation supports community building through programs such as the Young Families Program, Book Club, Theater J Club, Gift Shop, Chesed Committee for member support, and Social Action initiatives. Religious observance is supported through Kashrut and Kitchen Management services, Torah Trope instruction, and membership programs with various categories. The synagogue is unique as the only synagogue in the United States physically built by its members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Karp Family Hebrew School at Mishkan Torah: The Karp Family Hebrew School provides Jewish education for children from kindergarten through middle school, offering instruction in Hebrew, Jewish customs, values, and traditions.

Products and services

• Hybrid Shabbat Services Weekly Shabbat services offered in-person and via Zoom: Friday evening at 8:00 PM and Saturday morning at 9:45 AM, with Reconstructionist services on the second Saturday and fourth Friday and Conservative services at other times.
• High Holiday Services Hybrid services for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah, offered both in-person and via Zoom, with family services and accessibility accommodations.
• Karp Family Hebrew School

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Jewish Reconstructionism (Reconstructing Judaism)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated with the Reconstructionist movement. Rabbi Saul Oresky is a Reconstructionist, and the congregation blends Conservative and Reconstructionist practices. Provides theological framework and connection to broader Reconstructionist community.
• United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism (USCJ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated with USCJ, providing membership benefits, resources, and connection to the Conservative movement. Family and Single memberships include USCJ membership.
• Jewish Reconstructionist Federation (JRF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated with JRF as part of membership benefits. Family and Single memberships include JRF membership.
• Memorial Scrolls TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReceived Czech Memorial Torah scroll (MST #4) from the community of Vlašim, Czech Republic on permanent loan from the Memorial Scrolls Trust. Scroll arrived in 1967 and was repaired in 2017 to make it kosher and fit for ritual use.
• Theater JminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTheater J Club arranges tickets for Theater J performances for Mishkan Torah members, providing cultural programming and community engagement.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• JCC of Greater Washington: A Jewish Community Center in the DC region offering recreational, educational, and cultural programming. Relevant as a Jewish communal infrastructure provider in the same service area as Mishkan Torah, with historical roots in the 1940s Jewish Community Center of Prince Georges County that merged into Mishkan Torah.

Broad incumbents

• Washington Hebrew Congregation: One of the largest Jewish congregations in the DC area, offering Reform services, early childhood through high school education, and extensive programming. A broader-incumbent peer representing the scale-up trajectory that contrasts with Mishkan Torah's small-congregation model.
• Adas Israel Congregation: A large, established Conservative synagogue in Washington DC offering comprehensive religious, educational, and social programming. It is a broader-incumbent peer that competes with Mishkan Torah for the same Jewish family market in the DC region but at significantly greater scale and resources.

Direct peers

• Congregation Har Shalom: A small Conservative synagogue in the Washington DC suburbs offering Shabbat services, Hebrew school, and community programs. Comparable to Mishkan Torah in congregation size, denomination, and programming scope, making it a direct size-equivalent peer.
• Congregation Ohev Beth Sholom: A Conservative/Reform-leaning synagogue in Boardman, Ohio where Rabbi Saul Oresky previously served for three years. It is directly comparable as a similarly-sized community congregation with overlapping clergy lineage, illustrating a relevant peer for Rabbi Oresky's tenure and congregation size benchmarks.
• Kol Shalom: A Reconstructionist Jewish congregation in Rockville, MD offering Shabbat services, religious education, and community programming. Directly comparable to Mishkan Torah's Reconstructionist affiliation and same general Maryland geography.
• Ohr Kodesh Congregation: A Conservative Jewish congregation in Chevy Chase, MD serving the greater Washington DC area with religious services, education, and community programming. It is a same-denomination, same-metro peer competing for the same Jewish family demographic as Mishkan Torah.

Regional players

• Beth El Hebrew Congregation: A Reform Jewish congregation in Alexandria, VA providing religious services, education, and lifecycle programming. Comparable as a mid-sized Jewish congregation serving the broader DC metro market.
• B'nai Israel Congregation: A Conservative Jewish congregation in Rockville, MD with religious services, education, and youth programming. Same denomination and overlapping Maryland service area as Mishkan Torah, making it a comparable mid-sized regional peer.
• Temple Rodef Shalom: A large Reform Jewish congregation in Falls Church, VA serving the broader DC metro area with religious services, education, and social action programs. Comparable as a Jewish congregation serving the same regional market though operating in a different movement.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mishkan-torah

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mishkan Torah