Our Temple
Temple Shalom Mission Statement
Congregation L’Shem Shomayim, founded in 1849, is an historic Jewish congregation. L’Shem Shomayim is the surviving Jewish congregation in the Wheeling area. Its membership consists of individuals and families with Reform, Conservative, and more traditional backgrounds. While Temple Shalom conducts Reform worship services, it is sensitive to Jews from all
disciplines, meeting the needs of its membership.
The congregation of Temple Shalom strives to create an environment committed to Jewish core values by which Jews aspire to live.
בֵּית תּפִלָּה [Beit T’ filah] – A House of Worship where Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and practices as well as interfaith families are welcomed to join in a community of prayer.
בֵּית כְּנֶסֶת [Beit K’nesset] – A Gathering Place where we recognize the joy and obligations of community, a place to honor and support each other in joy and sorrow and to reaffirm that all Jews are responsible for each other including support and advocacy for the State of Israel.
בֵּית מִדְרָשׁ[Beit Midrash] – A House of Study where we provide education for all ages and most especially promote lifelong learning based on contemporary Jewish texts as well as our sacred Torah.
בֵּית צֶדֶק [Beit Tzedek] – A House of Righteousness where we seek social justice through acts of תִּקּוּן עוֺלָם [tikkun olam] (healing the world) and צְדָקָה [tzedakah] (righteousness), a place where we share in the responsibilities for such justice in our community at large, our state, our nation. and the world.
Social Action
Helping to repair our world is a powerful imperative for us here at Temple Shalom, and Social Action is one of the main pillars of our congregational life.
We connect our efforts for Tikkun Olam to many of our holiday celebrations, from Food Drives at the High Holy Days and Passover, to supporting the “Christmas Kids” of the wider community while we celebrate Hanukkah.
Our Religious School Students collect stuffed animals for the children of Harmony House, and our Temple Sisterhood lead the way with many wonderful efforts throughout the year to uplift the wider world.
We are proud to be a “Congregation for Caring” in support of Wheeling Health Right, and Temple Shalom is also the primary coordinator of both the Community-Wide September 11 Service of Remembrance, and the Community-Wide Interfaith Thanksgiving Service for the City of Wheeling each year.