Welcome to Beth Shalom!
Serving Southern Saratoga County for the last 50 years, we are so excited to welcome you into our building, services, and synagogue family. While our unique membership comes from all branches of Judaism, we lean towards liberal Conservative practices and embrace interfaith, LGBTQA, and all our diverse friends and families. Have a question? Our Board and members are here to help. Poke around our website to learn more about us and contact us today so we can learn more about you! We are so glad you are here and can’t wait to greet you in person! We have several different membership options and one may be perfect for you. Please contact our Membership VP for additional information.
A Message from Rabbi Shara Siegfeld
As we approach Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I find myself thinking about the profound friendship between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. Their relationship reminds us that moral courage is rarely a solitary act; it is nurtured through shared values, deep faith, and the willingness to stand together across lines of difference.
Rabbi Heschel famously said that when he marched with Dr. King in Selma, he felt as though his “feet were praying.” For both men, justice was not separate from spirituality; it was an expression of it. They believed that faith demands more than words; it calls us to action rooted in love, dignity, and a deep reverence for the divine spark in every human being.
In a world that often feels fractured and out of control, their partnership offers us hope. It reminds us that even in turbulent times, relationships grounded in moral clarity and compassion can help steady us. Change does not begin with grand gestures alone, but with people of conscience choosing not to turn away from one another, or from the suffering around them.
As we honor Dr. King’s legacy this week, may the example of his friendship with Rabbi Heschel inspire us to reach across boundaries, anchor ourselves in our values, and believe that our presence, our voices, and our small acts of goodness still matter. May we each find renewed strength to be partners in healing a broken world.
Wishing you a Shabbat and week filled with purpose and hope.
With love, Rabbi Shara
Donate
If you would like to make a donation to Beth Shalom, please click on the “Donate” button at the top of this page. We have several categories available: General Congregational Fund, Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund, Cemetery Fund, High Holiday Appeal, Reyut, or Security.
After you select the category and the amount, you can write a specific note. For example, if you donate to the Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund in memory of a loved one, you can include a note which will say, “In memory of _____________.”
If you would like to purchase a lovely Tree of Life Plaque or a Yahrzeit Plague, please click on the links below, complete the appropriate form and mail to or drop off at the Synagogue office with your remittance:
Kabbalat Shabbat - Fridays at 6:30 pm
Weekly, in-person and over Zoom. Oneg will follow.
Please see the Beth Shalom weekly email announcements for all worship details including Zoom information. Please note that the service schedule is subject to change. Check Thursday’s Beth Shalom email announcements for the most current information.
Beth Shalom Hadassah Book Club
Mitzvah Opportunities
We have a chance for volunteers to participate in a mitzvah by helping a refugee family who have settled in our area. Rabbi Beverly Magidson has forwarded this request to us.
The United States Committee on Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) is looking for volunteers to assist with a small Afghan refugee family located in Ballston Spa. The family consists of two older adults and two adult children. Most of what they need is daytime transportation to doctor appointments. They are living with family; their English is pretty good. USCRI would like to run background checks for volunteers (at their expense) but will not require it in this case.
Please contact Margaret Slotnick at mslotnick@uscri-albany.org
