Congregation Beth Sholom

My husband and i found Beth Sholom 15 years ago when we were looking for a Rabbi to marry us. We met Rabbi Lew who was known as ‘the Zen Rabbi.” We loved him! We joined and have been there ever since. Rabbi Lew passed away 6 years ago, but we’ve continued on as members. We’ve built a lovely community there. And, we love the new Rabbi, Aubrey Glazer. Highly recommend.

I have not been to every synagogue in San Francisco but for a conservative synagogue in sf I don’t think cbs can be beat. cbs does a great job of balancing tradition and the needs of modern life. If you want Hebrew in your services and true spirituality from your rabbi but still want some English or the ability to drive to synagogue on Shabbat you should take a look at cbs

Beth Sholom is my childhood synagogue that I attend now as an adult with a family of my own. I love it there and feel blessed to be part of a warm and loving community.

First of all let me say that I rarely give 5 stars, and I think 4 stars is a very good score. I think the Shabbat morning songs with Jonathan Bayer are energizing and fun.
I don’t have much to say about the service, because I haven’t been to one yet. However there is a new Rabbi named Rabbi Glazer now. I haven’t yet had a chance to meet him. I’m just shy and haven’t introduced myself yet but perhaps he will introduce himself to me someday. It seems like a decent place to send children to Religious School and I feel like my kids are both learning a lot.
We used to be members at Ner Tamid, where the food was deliciously prepared and so yummy and homemade with a variety of dishes. They’d even have chicken and fish and all kinds of salads.
So if the Kiddush at CBS had a nicer spread I would have given it 5 stars. It’s very plain and boring at times and not such a feast as we had every Shabbat at Ner Tamid. There was even extra wine, cognac, etc at Ner Tamid, but CBS seems to run out of coffee and hot water by the time I make my way over. They often run out of food for the amount of people they get. I think they need to spend more $$ on food and do it up Right! Shabbat Shalom.

To begin: San Francisco has a small Jewish community that I hope continues to grow.
I converted to Judaism 2 years ago with Beth Sholom.
When I was «shul shopping» I felt comfortable when I first visited. But it seemed when I finally converted I, got like this cold feeling each time I attend shul. So of course being a new Jew and a paying member, I got discouraged and just ended up leaving. It seemed like trying to join different programs within the shul were very difficult. They do not have a young person program or community. I know you shouldn’t let people take away from your worship, but you want a sense of community AT your place of worship. Plus you want to be Jewish with people your own age while you learn from the older Jewish people. I’m not saying you can’t relate to older people but it’s nice to be able to relate to people your own age. I guess I’m speaking a bit bitter since the older community at Beth Sholom was very cold and curt towards me.
I’ve been attending different shul’s…I will continue to do so until I find one that suits a young, single professional in her 30’s who lives in San Francisco such as myself.

This is very hard for me to say, but I just cannot get into Beth Shalom as is it is these days. I have been going here since the early 1990s, but I have never been a paid member, as I could never afford to be one. Therefore my perspective is that of a non-​member. If I was a paying member, my experience would probably be very different.
I used to be the only woman that would daven at the shacharit minyan… for a number of years. The minyan experience was always very good. Everyone was very welcoming, and the older men that are there are always very warm and nurturing. I left when Rabbi Lew left… and the place has never felt the same for me. Part of this might be the «new» building, which I find to be ugly and cold. The main sanctuary is extremely inconvenient when crowded with its very narrow aisles and precarious seating.
The smaller spiritual space has non of the coziness of the old room, and the seating of hard wooden benches is really uncomfortable. These spaces just don’t inspire kavanah, sorry!
I have been for a good number of Shabbats & events and always go to their High Holy Day Services. I find Rabbi Micah a very entertaining leader, and I think he did an excellent job on Rabbi Lew’s funeral, which was a pretty devastating event for the community here.
However, that said, his High Holy Day sermons have left me feeling very confused. As someone with family in Israel, who is a supporter of Israel, I have had a difficult time with some of his sermons. As a result, every time I think of attending regularly again, I an not inspired to do so. I wish I could say that the congregants are warm… some, like Kenny, Marilyn, and the shacharit crew make the place worth going to. Others make you feel like you are not good enough to be in their presence. It’s a bit of downer, I gotta say. The combination of wonky sermons, uninviting congregants, and cold spiritual space makes me hesitant to participate fully. I think if you have a young family with kids, and/​or a lot of money, it might be a good place to hang out. If you want a deeper spiritual experience, this may not be the place for you. And if you have any suggestions, please let me know! Sadly, there are few options for Conservative Jews living in the Richmond.

Please note that my review is only for the preschool.
Going through the preschool application and admission process in San Francisco is not fun for a parent. The waiting period is long — it’s like applying and interviewing for a job and having to wait months and even years to find out if you «got the job.» I applied to several school.
Beth Sholom is the ONLY school that I had a negetive experience with at every level.
When I initially made the call to gather some application process information, Sarah never returned my call and I had to actually stop by to talk to her. She said I missed the cut off for applying and suggested that I call back next year. Several months later, I called and called and called. After several messages, Sarah finally called back to try to schedule a tour. During all this time I missed most of the tour appointment. After many more phone tags, she was able to set up a private tour with Fern, the director. Fern seemed nice, but spaced out and losing her train of thought and asked me several times «now, what was I saying?» At the end of the tour Fern took my husband and I to her office. It was one of the messiest office I have seen — full of supplies for her jewelry making. No explanations.
Feb/​March rolls around and I’m getting letters/​calls from all the preschool that I applied to with acceptances (!), except no word from Beth Sholom. Not even a regret letter or a no thank you postcard. So I call Sarah and Fern. No response.

I belong to this synagogue not so much by choice but by hereditary. I don’t think that I would choose to belong to a conservative synagogue as I do not consider myself a conservative Jew.
As a kid I went to Sunday school here and it really turned me off from Judaism because the teachers were sadly no good. I think this was the case for many of my classmates as well, seeing as though only 2 or 3 still go to high holiday services (I know that others still live in SF, many defected to Emanu-​el post bar or bat mitzvah). I would assume that the Sunday school program has improved over time. This was the early to mid ‘90s.
The new building is alright. From the outside I think that the main sanctuary looks like a skate park, which is pretty cool (albeit a little silly). The inside of the main sanctuary is nice, but I think that there is a design flaw in the stairs. The stairs are not uniform in size and some are oddly long which causes people to trip. Since the design of the room has seats on one side facing those on the other with the bimah in the center of the room (at the bottom of the U), it leaves congregants to watch others trip up the stairs throughout the entire service. I am sure that some people find this distracting. I enjoy the entertainment.
If you are looking for a conservative congregation to join, I do think that Beth Sholom could be for you. The congregants are very friendly and the rabbi does a good enough job (he has certainly improved in the last few years). I did find myself chuckling at his sermon and not just people tripping at Rosh Hashannah a few years ago. The building is very nice, and I think that there is a lot of it that I haven’t seen since I only come by once a year to please my mother.

I’m not sure how to review a synagogue. I’ve been a member since the early 90’s, and it’s a wonderful place. A very welcoming congregation, a young & energetic rabbi, and great programs & facilities. Check it out, and you’ll know if it’s a fit.

Brand new building under construction which will be open in January 2008. Rabbi Micah Hyman is bursting with energy and enthusiasm in hopes of revitalizing this conservative congregation. Lots of new programming to appeal to varied ages and interests. Take a look at