Heritage Program Established to Facilitate Bequests

Donations and gifts from members and other well-wishers are an important part of keeping Beth El alive and healthy. When a potential donor prefers to defer a gift, a testamentary donation might more comfortably establish a donor’s heritage at Northern Virginia’s oldest congregation. Beth El’s new Heritage Program offers just such an opportunity.

As part of the Heritage Program, the synagogue will offer any members - or indeed any donors - who may wish to leave a specific bequest to Beth El, the free services of an attorney to write a codicil to their existing will making such a bequest.

The program would present to those generous donors a list of participating Beth El attorneys who would write that codicil pro bono. The donor would be free to choose from among the participating attorneys. We would expect the attorney to prepare the simple codicil to an existing will only. Other services that the donor and attorney may arrange would be up to the parties, and beyond the scope of the Heritage Program.

To start this program we are seeking both a cadre of volunteer attorneys and, of course, the generous donors. We hope that by being able to offer attorney services to make such gifts easy and convenient to the donor, we will help Beth El continue to be a house of worship, education and Jewish assembly.

Please contact the Beth El President or Rabbi Isserow at the synagogue office (703-370-9400) if you will be able to help us out by participating as a listed attorney in the Heritage Program, or as a potential donor. In either case, your generosity would be most appreciated.