About Us
Welcome to Beth Shalom!
We are a Reform congregation serving southern Wake County. In our 30+ years, our membership has cut across all age groups; and at each level, we strive to provide a warm and welcoming environment for our Jewish and interfaith families with a commitment to full inclusion. As diverse as our membership is, so is the wide array of religious, educational and social activities in which to participate. Tikkun olam, repairing the world, is essential to how we live our Judaism, and we strive to be active to do our part in bringing dignity and justice to all people.
Beth Shalom is a congregation big enough to provide the traditional things you would expect from a synagogue but small enough so your presence really counts—you are valued, people care to connect with you, and you can have a direct and immediate impact through individual participation.
This is simply a snapshot of who we are. Please take a few moments now to tour our website and learn more about us.
Who We Are - Our Vision
At Beth Shalom, our mission is to become a home for the people of southern and western Wake County looking for a Jewish connection and a community. We dedicate our efforts to make this a place where the richness and fullness of Jewish life can be experienced, explored, and enjoyed. Allowing for differences of opinions and interests and respecting personal choices, as is the Reform Jewish tradition, we dedicate ourselves to these essential purposes:
- To take part in inspiring religious practice, cherishing our heritage and customs even as we recreate and renew our tradition for ourselves and our children.
- To continually educate ourselves, developing knowledge and appreciation for our culture, making Talmud Torah—questioning, studying and learning—an engaging and defining endeavor for all, young and old.
- To constantly probe and apply our moral and ethical values, making our best contribution to Tikkun Olam—repairing the world—through acts of kindness and social justice, loving our neighbor, and caring for God’s creation.
- To connect with and support Jews around the world, reaffirming the bonds that unite Jews to one to another, and recognizing our historic and special bond to the State of Israel.
- To create a home for all our members, sharing in the building and sustaining of an environment where personal bonds and connections grow, leading to a real and warm sense of community which provides support in good times and bad times.
As a fully inclusive community, we actively reach out to welcome and embrace those who want to be part of the Jewish people, those who are accompanying and supporting their Jewish family members, and all those Jews who are not yet integrated into Jewish community life.
For Interfaith Families - Full Inclusion
Beth Shalom warmly opens its doors and hearts to all types of Jewish families and to our non-Jewish members. Whether or not you are affiliated with another religious institution, this synagogue is a place you can call “home.” Including people who are part of our Jewish family is important to us. We hope that you will want, as we do, for your inclusion to be permanent. You are part of our family.
As a fully-inclusive community, membership at Beth Shalom is not reserved just for those who are Jewish. Spouses, partners, and significant others of Jewish members are equally welcome. Even if a Jewish spouse dies, or a couple divorces, the membership rights of the non-Jewish partner continue. In addition, any custodial parent of a Jewish child may join our congregation.
All members of Beth Shalom, Jewish and non-Jewish, have voting rights at congregational meetings. While a few positions on our Board of Directors are designated only for Jewish members, non-Jewish members are involved in all aspects of our congregation, in governance and volunteering. They serve on committees and are involved in the full array of congregational leadership positions and activities.
And of course, we warmly embrace all those who want to learn about becoming Jewish and enter the Jewish community.
Our Shalom Y'all means y'all are included!