History of Congregation Shomrei Torah

Congregation Shomrei Torah has long been known as a warm and welcoming community. Formed in 1974 by a group of eleven Sonoma County families, we were "wandering Jews" and then we were welcomed at Christ Church United Methodist for many years,

Our growth in membership, in programming, and particularly in our religious school -- has led us to seek a home of our own. The first phase of our capital campaign raised over $4 million, and in February, 2003, we became owners of a 6 ½ acre site overlooking Santa Rosa. Ground breaking began in the summer of 2004, and we moved into our new synagogue with a Torah March through Santa Rosa on April 29, 2007.

Today in our beautiful new sanctuary, we read and study from our Holocaust Torah, rescued from Strakonitz, Czechoslovakia and on permanent loan from Westminster, England. This makes our name, Shomrei Torah (keepers of the Torah) even more special to us.

In 1996, Shomrei Torah was able to engage our first full-time rabbi, George Gittleman. Rabbi George's extraordinary energy, spiritual passion and intellect have led us to start and strengthen many programs.

We are fortunate to have the remarkable musical leadership and talent of our Liturgical Soloist, Leira Satlof, who directs our 30-member choir, as well as our house band. Our fondness for music-filled worship is precious to us. We are often referred to as the "musical synagogue" of Sonoma County.

 

In 1998, we opened our own Religious School to share and pass on our heritage and Reform traditions to the next generation. Since our Religious School opened, we have enjoyed significant growth and currently have 140 students enrolled. We also offer a Tot and Early Childhood program for the youngest members of our congregation family. In 2001, we launched Tzaddikim, our youth group, to serve the needs of our teens as well as young people from throughout the larger Jewish community. In 2007 Tzaddikim was combined with Congregation Beth Ami's Kehillah teen program to create Chaverim - a social and educational program for all Jewish teens throughout Sonoma County.

At Shomrei Torah, Judaism is not just about religion. It's about people, culture, history, love, food, music, life that goes back thousands of years. We take pride in being a warm, and welcoming diverse group of blue collar, white collar, young, old, gay, straight, and more. We are people concerned about people and the environment and where we live. That's what makes Shomrei Torah a unique and special place. It's all about "haimish mishpacha", a friendly extended family.

Today, Shomrei Torah has over 400 families and is alive with activity and fellowship. We have an active Women to Women program, Men's Bagel Club, Caring Committee, Social Action Committee, LifeLong Learning Programs and many active Chavurah groups. We take pride in welcoming new members and visitors from ALL styles of families, economic levels and social and spiritual interests. Check our calendar for a list of monthly services and activities.