Temple Shalom is a place for meaningful worship, meaningful learning, and meaningful gathering. Our temple welcomes the beautiful diversity of families and individuals as we journey together seeking to enrich our lives through the three historic aspects of synagogue life – a house of prayer for meaningful worship, a house of study for meaningful learning, and a house of connection for meaningful gathering.
We pride ourselves on being a warm and welcoming community for multifaith families and embrace our interfaith families in all aspects of synagogue life. We want your family members from other faith backgrounds to feel comfortable and engaged. Everything we do at Temple Shalom is open to all our members and many events are open to the community.
To learn more about Temple Shalom and for Belonging information,
we invite you to explore our website and to contact our Executive Director David Lamden.
In the mid-1960s, business was booming in Dallas, the Beatles performed for the first (and only) time in Dallas, and the city was growing north with the start of LBJ Freeway. New families were moving in from all over the United States. With only one Reform Jewish congregation in Dallas, several families met together in October 1965 to hold an organizational meeting to discuss forming a new Reform congregation further north.
An indestructible warmth and congeniality existed among those members from the beginning; we were an extended family. Within 10 days, the newly appointed Temple Shalom President, Henry Jacobus Jr., welcomed the first group to worship together at St. Mark’s Chapel. The following month, our founding document was proposed, approved and signed by 78 founders. And by December, the State of Texas granted a charter to the new congregation.
Services were held at St. Mark’s Chapel during our first year. Each week the tallest member in attendance would gently cover the cross in St. Marks before services began. For the High Holy Days, Perkins Chapel at SMU provided space and more interfaith and institutional goodwill.
Much happened in the first nine months. In February we consecrated our portable ark; in March we formed a choir and consecrated our Torah; and in April we established a Sisterhood. Congregation Shearith Israel presented us with the gift of a Sefer Torah in June in our new shared facilities at Northaven Methodist Church. And in July, we welcomed our first Rabbi, Hirshel Jaffe.
For several years, the Northaven Methodist Church on Preston Road became our home for Friday night Shabbat Services. Dr. James Hares, the Pastor, advised Rabbi Jaffe that we were welcome to stay until we had their own house of worship. “Not every Methodist church is fortunate enough to serve also as a synagogue site and have ‘brotherhood week all year’.”
Despite the hospitality of many, the pioneers of Temple Shalom longed for their own home. We had held services at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Sunday School at both Ursuline and The Hockaday School, and even had an office in the upstairs of a furniture store. St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and the Julius Schepps Jewish Community Center also provided space during our first years. However, the growth of the congregation required larger space for services, schooling, offices and activities. We purchased fourteen acres of land in July 1967. We broke ground in 1971 and held our first service at our current Alpha Road home in September, 1972.
That was more than 50 years ago. Today, we celebrate 60 years as a vibrant and integral member of the Dallas Jewish community and of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), and welcome you to join us.
