Jewish Life at Temple B'nai Sholom
Jewish life is rich, evolving, and deeply rooted. As a proud member of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), Temple B’nai Sholom embraces a progressive, inclusive vision grounded in Jewish tradition and guided by our shared values.
Through learning, celebration, and sacred action, we engage with Jewish life in ways that are authentic, welcoming, and meaningful. Whether you’re here to mark a life cycle moment, celebrate the holidays, deepen your practice, or simply explore, we’re honored to walk with you.
Below, you’ll find an overview of the ideas that guide our community, as well as links to explore how Jewish life is celebrated throughout the year.
What is Reform Judaism?
Embracing Tradition Through Innovation
Reform Judaism holds that a living tradition must keep growing. We treasure the rituals, stories, and ethics we inherited; at the same time, each era must shape Judaism in honest dialogue with its own realities. Innovation is not a break from tradition but the way tradition stays alive.
God
We believe in a God who invites every person into lives of meaning and responsibility. We speak about God in many ways and acknowledge that God is manifest in many ways. What joins us is not one fixed idea of God, but a belief that human choices matter, that we are partners with the sacred in healing the world and that life has sacred worth and moral purpose.
Torah
Torah can refer narrowly to the first five books of the Hebrew Bible and broadly to the whole body of Jewish teaching that has grown from those books—prophets, rabbinic wisdom, philosophy, and today’s scholarship. Taken together, Torah offers a blueprint for living with purpose: its stories, laws, and values guide us toward justice, compassion, and mindful community. We study it not only to understand ancient words but to ask, “How do these teachings help us build a life of meaning right now?” Revelation continues through learning, and every generation adds new understanding and practice.
Israel
Israel carries two intertwined meanings:
- Peoplehood (Am Yisrael) – Wherever we live, we see ourselves as part of one Jewish family whose story began in the Torah and continues today. Shared history, holidays, language, and responsibility bind us together.
- Land (Eretz Yisrael) – We also cherish the physical homeland where that story first took root. The modern State of Israel is a focus of pride, debate, and hope: a place where Jewish culture renews itself in Hebrew, where ancient sites stand beside cutting-edge innovation, and where Reform Jews work for a society that safeguards democracy, equality, and peace for all who live there.
Holding peoplehood and land together reminds us that Judaism is both global and grounded. We belong wherever Jews gather, yet we are linked to one particular patch of earth whose well-being matters to us all.
Informed Choice
Reform Judaism trusts individuals to make thoughtful decisions about ritual practice. We call this “informed choice”: learn the sources, explore the meanings, and then choose how—and how often—to observe Shabbat, dietary laws, prayer, or other mitzvot (commandments). The goal is authentic engagement, not one-size-fits-all conformity.
Repairing a Broken World
Because every human being is created b’tzelem Elohim—in God’s image—we feel called to partner with God in healing society. We turn values into action through civil rights advocacy, interfaith partnership, environmental stewardship, and local acts of kindness.