History

We started slowly, out of need. A few bright young St. Louis area couples with children nearing school age came to realize that they needed to act if they were to raise them as Jews. They had no congregational affiliations and the last nearby synagogue was following its congregants out and away from the city limits. They did not like the idea of having the City, for many years home to several dozen Jewish congregations, totally devoid of a Jewish presence. Wedding their social consciousness to their burgeoning Jewish awareness, they decided, after much soul-searching, to create a new Jewish place of worship within the City of St. Louis.

Over twenty years later, believing more than ever that a desire to heal and transform the world demands that we not flee the problems of the inner city, we revel in our status as the City’s only Jewish congregation. Our voice is heard in discussions and plans for urban revitalization and our hands are busy in a variety of efforts aimed at revitalizing the area and improving life for our neighbors.

If our initial goal was modest, our successes have been inordinate. With the inspiration and insightful teaching of Rabbi Susan Talve, whose every act is a lesson in how to live, and Rabbi Randy Fleisher, who has further enriched our congregation with his energy and wisdom, we have created a vital faith community that looks for holy responses to all our life situations. People who never knew what holiness was are finding it in connecting with one another, in worshiping together, in studying Torah together, and in coming together just to experience the shelter of peace that we create together.

With no recruitment effort whatsoever, our membership rolls have grown exponentially, from 10 households in 1984 to around eight hundred households today. They join in response to their own personal spiritual impulses -- to walk with us on a holy path.