Jonathan Epstein has been an active member of Congregation Beth El of Montgomery County for many years, serving as president of the Men’s Club from 2017-2020.   

 

As Men’s Club president he introduced new programming such as hikes and new community service and social events, bringing in a number of young[er] members. Jonathan has been an active volunteer with Manna Food bank for many years.  For the last eight years, he has run a monthly Men’s Club program at Manna Food Center sorting or packing food, with volunteers drawn from the entire Beth El community. This program allows parents to come with their children and share the Jewish value of tikkun olam. 

 

Jonathan grew up in the area, and attended Winston Churchill H.S., before heading off to Hamilton College, graduating magna cum laude.  Jonathan served in the U.S. Navy, spending over three years as a deck and engineering officer on a Navy destroyer, including deployment during the first Gulf war. After leaving active duty, Jonathan worked as a marine safety specialist for the U.S. Coast Guard while attending law school, graduating cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center, and serving as Editor-in-Chief of the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics. Jonathan has been a partner at Holland & Knight LLP in Washington D.C. for the last 20 years where he currently practices international trade and aviation law. His practice has covered everything from bananas to supersonic jets. He also performs pro bono work, currently representing clients in veteran’s benefit cases and in immigration matters under the Violence Against Women Act.

 

Jonathan met his wife, Susan, playing coed volleyball at the DCJCC, and they now have two loving adult children, Rafe and Mira. He has been racing sailboats on the Chesapeake Bay for 25 years, loves gardening, and plans to pick back up classical guitar, woodworking, and perhaps golf when time permits.