Founded in 1921, it is one of the oldest synagogues west of the
Mississippi River. A member of the
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, Congregation Beth Sholom is a hub of the Bay Area Jewish community. Beth Shalom built a synagogue on Fourteenth Avenue and Clement Street in 1934 after initially meeting in a church on Fourth Avenue near Geary. The first full-time rabbi, Saul White, age 27 and born and raised in Russian Poland, was hired in 1935. The first
bat mitvah, for Judith Stein, was held at the synagogue in 1957. In 2022, Rabbi Amanda Russell was promoted to the position of senior rabbi, the first woman to hold the position in the congregation. == Rabbinical leaders ==