When there is no vision, the people perish. Proverbs 29:18

Just The Facts
There has been an organized Ashkenazi Jewish community in Santa Fe since the mid-1800s. In the late 1940s eighteen families purchased the property on Barcelona Road where TBS is still located. John Gaw Meem, the late noted architect, designed a building to accommodate the 40-family congregation. The building was dedicated in the spring of 1953 and is still in use. The synagogue's original name was the Santa Fe Jewish Temple.

Entrance to TBS SanctuaryIn 1970 the name was changed to Temple Beth Shalom. The new sanctuary and social hall, designed by renowned solar architect Ed Mazria, was completed and dedicated in September 1986. The classroom and office wing was completed in May 1987.

TBS now has more than 350 families. The total population of "greater" Santa Fe is around seventy-five thousand, of which three to four thousand are estimated to be Jewish. Our religious school has 170 students. Our daily preschool for 2 to 6 year olds has an enrollment of 45 students. Our Las Vegas Torah, the oldest in New Mexico, is currently on display as part of the Museum of New Mexico's "Pioneer Jews" exhibit. We are also the only Jewish congregation in Santa Fe with a "campus," including an exquisite meditation garden, and we are, therefore, able to be a resource for the entire community.

Geopolitics, Tortillas and Chopped LiverReligious School
Santa Fe is one of the oldest cities in the United States. It sits tucked between the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, sun and snow battered mesas, and the canyon of the Rio Grande. It is a place rich in history. Native Americans have lived here for thousands of years. The Spanish came in the 1500s, and among them were crypto-Jews and conversos, hidden Sefardim, a lost community which is only now beginning to rediscover itself.

We are learning to honor this Sefardic heritage, in our music and liturgy and studies. We often include in our services Sefardic songs in Ladino and Arabic, from both Latin American and Middle Eastern traditions. Crypto-Judaism still exists in northern New Mexican communities, and historical research is currently being done on the Jewish ancestry of Spanish families by the rapidly growing New Mexico Jewish Historical Society (which has many members from TBS, including several Society past-presidents.) Visit www.nmjewishhistory.org for more information.

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, many "pioneer" Jews came west and founded the Ashkenazic communities. Santa Fe was the wild end of the westward trail. It's always been a multi-cultural place - sojourned by Indians, Spanish, Mexicans, Texans, Down-Easterners, Jews, artists, and hippies. Everybody had to get along, and mostly did.

Who Aren't We?
Many congregations see themselves as diverse, but at TBS we're REALLY diverse. There are families among us who are generations-old Santa Fe hands, and folks who are just off the bus from literally everywhere. As part of our understanding of what Judaism asks of us, we have a tradition of welcoming Jews (and non-Jews) of all races and backgrounds and persuasions. We welcome gays and lesbians, and have celebrated together their commitment and life-cycle ceremonies. A third of us belong to interfaith families. We are cowboys and hippies, scientists and artists, stockbrokers who come to services in blue jeans, elders and teens, retirees and a sizable crowd of young adults.

We are a Reform congregation, and a member of the URJ.

Will the Real Rabbi Please Stand Up?
Rabbi Marvin and Janet SchwabRabbi Marvin Schwab became our congregational rabbi on August 1, 2001.

In addition, we have an incredible lay leadership here which has always stepped forward when called upon. We have members who know the liturgy, who can chant Torah, and who can teach. We have had boards of directors and executive officers who have given unsparingly of their time and wisdom. As a community, we are unbeatable.

Even more information.

I'll See Your Shabbat And Raise You Two High Holy Days
Foyer of Sanctuary BuildingWe have warm and lively Friday night services and holy day celebrations, enriched by great music, and by lots of congregational participation. The first Friday of each month is a family service. We have launched a successful Shabbat morning service, including a "new tradition" of having those whose birthday falls that week being honored with aliyot during the Torah reading. The service is preceded by a bagel schmooze and a Torah study, generally attended by the rabbi, but led and moderated by congregants. Or, every other Shabbat, celebrate with Kol Halev, a Renewal chavurah.

We have been working towards integrating the regular Reform Shabbat morning worship service with our B'nai Mitzvah celebrations, and have been able to deepen both thereby.

As you might expect from our varied demographics, our Jewish practice is varied as well. In our congregation, as in many, there is a wide range of what people like - from traditional to meditative to dancing in the aisles. Santa Fe has long been a magnet for "spiritual seekers," including Jews. What this means in practice is not always clear, but the folks who come regularly to services at TBS are looking for something powerful and deep, something beyond responsive reading. They want to move closer to God. There is joy in our worship, and passion.

Take Notes Because There's Gonna Be A Quiz Next Shabbat
TBS places a high priority on education. Our religious school has thrived. It is currently bursting at the seams and can barely accommodate all the kids who want to attend.

The Bar and Bat Mitzvah program is strong and exciting. Families consistently come away from the experience deeply moved, and with a stronger commitment to Judaism. Families with younger children are invited to get involved in their kids' education through our Family Education program. BSTY, the youth group (affiliated with NFTY) has been growing by leaps and bounds. We have an accredited pre-school which incorporates a Jewish curriculum, and which is open to all children, non-Jewish as well as Jewish.Meditation Garden
Jubilee Wall

Simon The Righteous Would Be Pleased
Like Reform Jews everywhere, we are firmly committed to "gemilut hasidim." Whether we are helping to maintain the old Jewish Cemetery in Las Vegas (New Mexico)or conducting a food drive on Yom Kippur, our Social Action Committee and our Youth Group are always engaged in "tikkun olam", the repair of the world. Tzedakah is greatly emphasized in the religious school, during "B'nai Mitzvah" study and in the preschool. In addition, Mitzvah Maven Danny Siegel's stint as Scholar-in-Residence in 2004 created a groundswell of grass roots giving. Simon the Righteous would indeed be pleased with our messy lobby where we collect everything from warm coats to kid's videos for distribution to charitable groups throughout Santa Fe.

Come On In, Pull Up A Cactus, & Have A Seat
People here tend to be outspoken and independent. As a community, we have had, and continue to have, our challenges. Contrary to popular belief, Santa Fe isn't Aspen (or even Sedona), and things can be tough here. Santa Fe is a small city with many socioeconomic, big city issues. The growth of our Temple has paralleled changes in the larger community in many ways, such as having a very wide income spread within the congregation. We have good prospects, but we have had to take a hard look many times at our finances. Yet, with the community dedication and commitment (and hard work) we've been blessed with, we always pull through.