Congregation Beth Sholom


Congregation Beth Sholom is a Conservative Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 301 14th Avenue, in San Francisco, California, in the United States.

History

Founded in 1921, it is one of the oldest synagogues west of the Mississippi River. A member of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, Congregation Beth Sholom is a hub of the Bay Area Jewish community. Beth Shalom built a synagogue on Fourteenth Avenue and Clement Street in 1934 after initially meeting in a church on Fourth Avenue near Geary. The first full-time rabbi, Saul White, age 27 and born and raised in Russian Poland, was hired in 1935. The first bat mitvah, for Judith Stein, was held at the synagogue in 1957.
The congregation moved to a new synagogue designed by architect Stanley Saitowitz in 2008. In 2022, Rabbi Amanda Russell was promoted to the position of senior rabbi, the first woman to hold the position in the congregation.

Rabbinical leaders

The following individuals have served as rabbi of Congregation Beth Sholom:
OrdinalOfficeholderTerm startTerm endTime in officeNotes
1Saul E. White19341983 years
2Allan Schranz19831986 years
3Alexander Graubart19861991 years
4Alan Lew19912005 years
5Kenneth Leitner20052007 years
6Micah Hyman20072014 years
7Aubrey Glazer20142018 years
8Dan Ain20182022 years
9Amanda Russell2022incumbent years