Valley Beth Shalom is a synagogue community committed to the quest for a Jewish life that is Godly, meaningful, and purposeful.

OUR PHILOSOPHY: Human beings seek meaning. We seek the certainty that our life matters. We gain meaning by locating our personal story in a grand narrative, a narrative of our people, our nation, or in the struggle on behalf of a great cause, in pursuit of truth, beauty or justice. We experience meaning in significant relationships of intimacy, family, friendship, and community. We find meaning in acts of significant giving and caring and sharing. All these provide moments when we break out of the narrow confines of individuality to experience a bigger self. Jewish tradition teaches that the broader we define the boundaries of self, the deeper our sense of life's meaning.  Opening the self to include family, friends, community, people, and the world opens the way to a deeply meaningful life.

Thus, we are commanded in the Torah: Kedoshim t'hiu ki kadosh Ani, "You will be holy, as I am holy." (Leviticus 19) God is the Self that encompasses the entire world. As we expand our sense of self to embrace more and more of the world, we become holy, we become Godly.

OUR MISSION - We transform lives through:

Torah - Jewish Learning

Avodah - Jewish Worship, Celebration, and Commemoration

Gemilut Hasadim - Ethical Action and Social Justice

Havurah - Jewish Fellowship, Community, and Belonging

These basic principles sustain our synagogue as a participatory, activist, inclusive community whose members feel connected to one another, to their Jewish past, to the Jewish future, to Israel, to Jewish communities and throughout the world.

 
A COVENANT OF MEMBERSHIP – By Senior Rabbi, Ed Feinstein:

B'raysheet “In the beginning…” I share the responsibility of creating a community of holiness at Valley Beth Shalom, a community that embraces and embodies the ideals, ethics, faith and culture of the Jewish people.

Sh’mot “These are the names…” I will deepen my own Jewish identity and nurture my Jewish soul through Torah/ Learning, Avodah/Worship, Gemilut Hesed/Action, and Hevrah/Fellowship.

Va’yikra “And God called…” I will answer the call to become God’s partner in bringing wholeness and holiness to the world. I will answer the call to repair the world’s brokenness and heal its suffering.

Bamidbar “In the wilderness…” I will seek shalom, the blessings of wholeness, peace, and solidarity in my family, my circle of relations, my community, in my city and in the world.

Devarim “These are the words…” I share the responsibility of transmitting Judaism to a new generation.