Soon after Beth Am was founded in 1974, rebbe Dr. Louis Kaplan wrote about the “felt need of our members and friends for a synagogue with a special blend of prayer and study, tradition and innovation, combined with opportunities for direct involvement…We must be willing to accept the challenge of Judaism as an eternal quest, a spiritual and intellectual adventure for all of us. Even as we revere the treasures of history and thought bequeathed to us, our deepest concerns are for today and for the future.”
Today, we honor that commitment and embrace that challenge – through torah.
The word torah is multi-faceted. In addition to the Sefer Torah, the Torah scroll itself, torah can mean the corpus of Jewish sacred literature. It has also come to mean the specific torah values claimed by individual Jews and Jewish organizations. Beth Am’s “torah” is expressed through five pillars, core values that undergird and animate our work.
As we celebrate our history and our 50th Anniversary, we also celebrate these values. We make a statement about the kind of congregation we are today and the future we envision.
קהילה
Kehillah – Sacred Community
צדק
Tzedek – Social Justice
מקום
Makom – Connection to Place
עמך
Amcha – Celebrating Diversity
לימוד
Limud – Learning
Read more about The Torah of Beth Am here
Share your personal “Torah of Beth Am” – your unique memories and stories about your Beth Am experience. Contribute to a collective narrative that honors the past and preserves the synagogue’s rich history for future generations.
March 30, 2025
Soferit and Artist-in-Residence Rachel Jackson will lead a morning text study and discussion about her work, and how the Jewish laws of scribing might teach us something about ourselves, our community, and our world. The Soferit will also guide Discovery Lab students in an art project. At the festive afternoon Women’s Pesach Celebration, we will share wisdom, create art with the Soferit, and collaborate on how we can support one another in sacred community during turbulent moments.
Sunday, May 18, 2025
Connect our 50th Anniversary with Beth Am’s Reservoir Hill neighbors at a special free concert at 4 PM featuring award-winning jazz royalty Lafayette Gilchrist and the New Volcanoes, with special guest Baltimore rapper Eze Jackson. Light reception to follow the concert.
December 2024 – December 2025
Learn, rejoice, reflect and celebrate the entire anniversary year with a robust schedule of special events.
Browse the images, archival material and stories that depict Beth Am’s rich history.
Take a look at recent events from Beth Am’s 50th Anniversary celebration.
