Beth Shalom Congregation is a
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
congregation and
synagogue
A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...
, located at 8070 Harriet Tubman Lane, in
Columbia,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
, in the United States. It is the only Conservative congregation in
Howard County.
History
When the town of
Columbia was formed in the 1960s, in accordance with an idea of
James Rouse
James Wilson Rouse (April 26, 1914 – April 9, 1996) was an American businessman and founder of The Rouse Company. Rouse was a pioneering American real estate developer, urban planner, civic activist, and later, free enterprise-based philanthr ...
, an Interfaith Center was created where all
places of worship
A place of worship is a specially designed structure or space where individuals or a group of people such as a congregation come to perform acts of devotion, veneration, or religious study. A building constructed or used for this purpose is so ...
in the town would initially share a hall.
The attempt to first organize a Jewish community in the Columbia area began in 1967. Temple Solel (now known as Temple Isaiah) became the area's
Reform
Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...
temple, and Beth Shalom became the area's Conservative congregation.
[ Both have since obtained their own buildings.
Beth Shalom was founded in 1969. It has since grown to approximately 250 families.]
Rabbinical leaders
The following individuals have served as rabbi of Beth Shalom:
Grossman was ordained in 1985 at a time when female rabbis in the Conservative movement were considered to be unusual. Grossman is known for authoring works on the Conservative view of ritual purity
Ritual purification is a ritual prescribed by a religion through which a person is considered to be freed of ''uncleanliness'', especially prior to the worship of a deity, and ritual purity is a state of ritual cleanliness. Ritual purification ...
.
See also
* History of the Jews in Maryland
Jews have settled in Maryland since the 17th century. As of 2018, Maryland's population was 3.9% Jewish at 201,600 people. The largest Jewish populations in Maryland are in Montgomery County, particularly Kemp Mill and Potomac, and the Baltimore ...
References
External links
*
{{Synagogues in the United States
1969 establishments in Maryland
20th-century synagogues in the United States
Columbia, Maryland
Conservative synagogues in Maryland
Howard County, Maryland landmarks
Jewish organizations established in 1969
Religious buildings and structures in Howard County, Maryland