Wow, my 50th review came so quickly and even though I know there will be plenty more, I did want…read morethis one to be for something that had meaning to me. Occasionally, I see a review for a church, but rarely a synagogue, so I thought I would sing the praises of the synagogue where my family has been a member for 3 years, Temple Ramat Shalom.
Ramat Shalom is an intimate, community oriented congregation that welcomes families, single adults, and people from all Jewish backgrounds, including interfaith families. When you walk into a service at Ramat Shalom, the staff and congregation are casual, very friendly, warm, and welcoming.
The friendly spirit here starts at the top with Rabbi Andrew, a wonderful teacher, spiritual leader, and caring friend. He has been a cheerleader in times of joy and a great comfort in times of sorrow. He speaks to you like a "real person and friend", which is something I have not always seen rabbis or religious leaders do. Our Cantorial Soloist Debbie recently started with Ramat Shalom but I believe she fits right in and has been doing a fantastic job. She has an awesome voice and rocked a packed house with a "Rock Shabbat" last week . Not all services are "rock" but most do revolve around music. To me, this is a very fun and spirited type of service, not like the boring and dour services I grew up going to.
Children are very important at Ramat Shalom. Little kids will never get stern looks if they make noise during services. There is a one day a week Hebrew School on Sundays and plenty of activities for both younger and older children.
We do our best to get to services and get our kids to Hebrew School, but what I love about thiscongregation is that there is no judgment. The Temple is very understanding of our very busy lives (work, school, family, sports) and appreciates that we so our best.! We certainly appreciate Temple Ramat Shalom's warm caring, and understanding attitude.