I love this place! My family has been going here for many years, and it has become our Jewish…read morehome. Families of all kinds are accepted here, and we have such a wonderful community. I especially love the music, and the Rabbi!

I have to say that after all these years that it surprises me that Temple Beth El has not been…read morereviewed on Yelp! In one way or another, I've been involved with this synagogue since about 1980 or so, even though I didn't convert until 2002. I had the privilege of meeting legendary founding Rabbi of the new location, Rabbi Rosenthal on numerous occasions in the 80s, including being the photographer for the 1987 (?) confirmation class. As coincidence goes, I attended services tonight for the first time in a long time only to find that tonight is the Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Rosenthal (as well as the first Yahrzeit of Cantor Leah Elstein). It's a beautiful, welcoming place - Rabbi Kadden has helped to make Temple Beth El such a place, and the congregation reflects this. And for those who may have a tendency to shun some of the modern Reform traditions, Temple Beth El has lots of Hebrew in the services, with many traditional melodies. Some Reform congregations have moved to "mostly English" but Temple Beth El still honors the Hebrew tradition, but in a welcoming "you don't have to speak Hebrew to belong" sort of way. I've always liked that. If you're looking for a Reform congregation in the Tacoma area, this is your place. It was for me for many years since my conversion under Rabbi Glickman. We'll very likely be rejoining after our few years' absence. It was a very nice service tonight, and very inspiring especially given the coincidence of it being the Yahrzeit of both Rabbi Rosenthal and Cantor Leah... maymay their place of rest be in Gan Eden. Dave

I'm so incredibly disheartened after my visit to Beth El. My husband and I are new to the area and…read morehad such high hopes in finding a like minded community in our new home. The Rabbi and Cantor where both kind and welcoming, but the general feeling was that kids aren't welcome. We have a two year old, who we took turns taking out into the hall to rock and try to keep quite (she's well behaved but she's also two. She wasn't screaming or yelling, just playing with a puzzle as quietly as a two year old can play). We had been given serval looks from people sitting around us, and not sympathetic, 'oh, we've been there, we understand' looks, the kind of scolding looks that left me red with embarrassment. Towards the end, someone came up and told us she was 'just a bit much too' to be in the sanctuary. I left in tears, I've never felt more unwelcomed in a place of worship.

Temple Beth Or has become my second home. TBO is a warm, inclusive, intellectually stimulating,…read morefriendly, and helpful Jewish community with a wonderful Rabbi!

We first experienced the warmth and welcoming community of Temple Beth Or about 5 years ago. We had…read morerecently moved to the area and were greeted as if we immediately belonged. Rabbi Marshall did our son's baby naming and since then we have gotten more and more involved. The level of religious observation runs from super secular to atheist/culturally Jewish to people who keep Shabbat in a strict sense. All are welcomed. With the addition of Rabbi Kort, the synagogue community is headed to even greater heights. We have made some of our closest friends at TBO and look forward to the future we can create there. We hope to meet you soon!

I love the Rabbi and Cantor - bright, curious, warm, and dedicated professionals. The membership as…read morea whole is committed to unity, and has a growth mindset while still honoring the Conservative Jewish traditions. On Shabbat, there is a great kiddush, open to the whole congregation. It's a nice way to stay in the Shabbat mood after services.

The Clergy is the best! Cantor Kurland has been at Herzl for almost 30 years and has a most…read morewonderful relationship with every congregant. The children love him! He's a man with a very good soul! Rabbi Rosenbaum is the least lazy person I have ever met. He works so hard to keep learning and new programs available and fun. Also a very caring person! We joined Herzl in 1972 and raised our children there. They still have "warm fuzzies" about Herzl Ner Tamid although they no longer live in the area. The congregation seems to have gotten much younger.....but maybe that's because we are much older??? Great congregation for those not fitting into reform or not comfortable with Orthodox.

A warm, welcoming community. The religious school program at this Reform temple is vibrant (your…read morekids will not complain about Jewish cooking class or outdoor adventures). Located in the heart of Bellevue but members come from around the region. Don't miss the soul Shabbat with Chava Mirel and her band.

We've been members of Temple B'nai Torah (TBT) for 22 years and keep coming back. Why? It's warm,…read moreinviting, welcoming and open to all. Both our boys were Bar Mitzvahed there. The cantor is great and the new rabbi is a welcome new face, replacing the beloved previous rabbi, who is now on emeritus status. Although we no longer use the religious school we hear it has a great reputation too.

This review is solely for the Early Childhood Center as we do not attend temple…read more The Early Childhood Center at Beth Shalom was such a blessing to our family! We initially enrolled our daughter (18 months at the time), in a time where we could not find another suitable vacancy for full-time care. As a non-Jewish family, we assumed we would keep her there until we found another opening but very quickly we realized what a wonderful place the ECC was and had no intention of moving her elsewhere. We were in both the 1-2 and the 2-3 class, and loved both! All of the teachers, parents, and other staff were so wonderfully welcoming and caring. I always felt so safe leaving my daughter there, and she came home singing sweet songs, talking about her friends at school, and was thrilled to go there every day. I often got emails and texts with photos and updated throughout the day... such a nice gesture, particularly in the early days when you're adjusting to a new place. We've since moved to the Eastside and had to find new care. We love our new place as well, but still miss ECC and everyone there! Our daughter still talks about her old teachers and sings their classroom songs. We feel so sad that we had to move and truly wish we were still part of the program. I would wholeheartedly recommend the ECC. It's open to all faiths and we never felt any less involved or included because we weren't Jewish. This daycare is such a treasure... such caring and warm staff who are true professionals and clearly love what they do! We miss Leah, Jessica... and the whole crew! - Claire and Family

This congregation offers excellent adult classes, from language to cooking. I very much enjoy the…read moresinging at Beth Shalom and the overall welcoming warmth of the people.

I tend not to review religious organizations or facilities or groups as, when one is talking about…read moreany matter pertaining to the spiritual, it just seems way more subjective than, say, reviewing a restaurant or store. That said, here are my reasons why, for me and my family, at any rate, this is a wonderful synagogue: 1. They are all-welcoming, of everyone. My hubby is not Jewish. TSHS welcomes all interfaith couples, blended families, the LBGT community (they were very vocal in their support of same sex marriage), everyone and anyone. To me, this is what a religious-based community SHOULD be. 2.This is a community-oriented temple. There are so many opportunities to meet people here and join groups, or simply attend Shabbat services and those at holidays. There are adult-learning classes, a very active single "Tribe" group (they do so many fun activities, I kinda wish I were single again so I could join this group!), groups for teens, book clubs, pot-lucks, Temple trips, and more. In other words, you can do as much or as little as you wish. But there's a LOT to do, if you want. 3. There are two sites - one in Seattle, one in Bellevue - so that makes it a bit more convenient to go. 4. They have awesome preschool and religion/Sunday school programs, and fabulous Bat Mitzvah/Bar Mitzvah training and facilities, and will help you (the parents!) plan these events, every step of the way. 5. There's a focus on community involvement and awareness. I like how there are dialogues with Moslems and Catholics and how there are many inter-faith dialogues and meet-and-greets throughout the year, and how CHurch members come to our services and how we go to theirs. And how there are always opprotunities, through the Temple, to help others in our community (volunteering at shelters and soup kitchens, cleaning parks, clothing drives, etc.). 6. Personally, I like how they have their finger on the pulse of what's going on in the world. This is a very liberal reform congregation, led by a very charismatic senior rabbi and other super rabbis who speak in real-world terms about real-world issues. There's no emphasis on esotheric, abstract issues. The services focus on real, pragmatic themes and current events, and they are able to break down even the most fuzzy theologic material into terms us laymen understand. They have "Rock Shabbat" services where, with electric guitars in hand, they'll sing Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello or The Band tunes, and talk about the politics of the world, and how it relates to Torah. It's all discussed in ways we understand, and in an interactive format that makes us feel a part of the services itself. This is a huge contrast to the very Conservative synagogue of my youth. And I SO welcome these changes!

I love Temple De Hirsch!…read more Even though I have spent most of my time at the Seattle Temple De Hirsch, I attended some services at this Synagogue. The location can be a little confusing, but there is plenty of well lit parking (winter is dark :/). I 100% agree with Nancy, they truly are all welcoming, I enjoy the diverse, genuine atmosphere.