On East Barcelona Road in Santa Fe, a low-set stucco building with a meditation garden has been the Jewish home of northern New Mexico since 1947. Temple Beth Shalom is the oldest and largest Jewish congregation in Santa Fe, and it calls itself, plainly, "Your Jewish Home in Santa Fe, New Mexico." Members drive in from across the region for Friday night Erev Shabbat, Saturday morning Torah study and worship, Sunday religious school, and a calendar of adult learning, social action, and lifecycle celebration that has grown into something far larger than its modest campus would suggest.
A Reform Congregation Since 1947
Temple Beth Shalom traces its founding to 1947, when a small group of Jewish families in Santa Fe organized a congregation that has grown steadily across nearly eight decades. The temple describes itself as the oldest and largest synagogue in one of North America's oldest and most unique cities, and the description fits: the synagogue's continuous presence here pre-dates most of the city's modern cultural institutions. Today the congregation is a member of the Union for Reform Judaism, the largest Jewish denominational movement in North America, and it lives within the URJ's commitments to openness, egalitarianism, and lifelong Jewish learning.
What makes the temple distinctive in Santa Fe is its explicit inclusiveness. The congregation welcomes Jews from all backgrounds: traditional, interfaith, LGBTQ+, conversos, and crypto-Jews, alongside Jews by choice, Jews of color, and people who are simply exploring Jewish life. The temple puts it without hedging: "Regardless of your age, how you practice your faith, who you love or how much you know about Judaism, you will find programs that will enlighten, educate and entertain you." That posture shapes every part of the congregation, from the wording of the High Holy Day appeal to the description of the preschool.
Rabbi Neil Amswych and the Pulpit
Rabbi Neil Amswych has been the senior rabbi of Temple Beth Shalom since 2014, when he arrived after nearly ten years as the principal rabbi of Bournemouth Reform Synagogue in England. He is known for soaring sermons, and the synagogue posts recordings of his sermons and his Soul Searching podcast, a series of long-form interviews with faith leaders, academics, and artists on questions of meaning, ethics, and after life that is listened to well beyond Santa Fe.
Outside the sanctuary, Rabbi Neil has been a transformational leader in the interfaith community. He helped organize a 1,500-person Rally Against Racism in the Santa Fe Plaza in the summer of 2017, and the temple credits him with a steady presence in social justice advocacy. He writes regularly for the Santa Fe New Mexican, including an op-ed titled "Fight intolerance in the City Different," and he was the subject of a KOAT Action News segment on the relationship between science and religion. His teaching ranges from Torah study on Saturday mornings to adult education classes on subjects as varied as the medieval prohibition against kitniyot on Passover and a presentation on the physical and spiritual importance of Israel through the ages.
When the war that began on October 7 reshaped American Jewish life, Rabbi Neil organized a multi-part community presentation on the origins of the conflict and the path forward, and then held extended question-and-answer sessions whose transcripts are posted. The temple also participates in the URJ's wider statement on the war, calling for the swift return of the hostages, Palestinian self-determination, and a halt to settlement construction, while supporting the existence of a Jewish and democratic state of Israel.
The Cantor, the Choir, and the Music
The musical heart of the synagogue is the partnership of Aaron Wolf, the music director, and Meredith Brown, the cantorial soloist. Both have been fixtures at Temple Beth Shalom for decades.
Aaron Wolf grew up in Los Angeles, graduated from USC and USC Law School, and moved to Santa Fe in 1978. He began teaching Hebrew school and tutoring B'nei Mitzvah students at TBS in 1979, and he and Meredith Brown volunteered to step in as accompanist and cantorial soloist when the previous cantor left in late 1999. He has been at the piano ever since. He plays piano and guitar for services, sings in the choir, teaches music in the religious school, and leads the Monday Morning Minyan. He has also served two years as president of the temple board.
Meredith Brown discovered her voice as a child at a Hebrew Day School in Rockaway, New York, and has been a constant presence at Temple Beth Shalom since she and her husband Mick, whom she met in Israel, settled in Santa Fe in 1984. She became a B'nei Mitzvah tutor, a Hebrew school teacher, a member of the temple choir, and, in 1999, the cantorial soloist. The congregation describes her as one of its greatest treasures.
Shabbat Services and the Sanctuary
The synagogue's rhythm centers on Shabbat. Erev Shabbat services are held Friday evenings at 6:30, followed by an Oneg Shabbat. Saturday mornings begin at 9:00 with Torah Study in person and on Zoom, a session that has become the temple's flagship adult-learning gathering and that touches on Torah, Talmud, Hebrew Bible, and rabbinic literature. At 10:30 the community gathers for the main Shabbat service, with the Torah reading of the week, the rabbi's drash, congregational singing, and the full choreography of Jewish prayer.
Services are described as musical, participatory, and meaningful. Services are livestreamed on YouTube, and recordings of past services are kept online for members who are traveling, ill, or otherwise unable to attend in person. The Saturday morning service occasionally takes a "conservative" form for variety, and special Shabbat mornings bring Tot Shabbat services at 5:30 pm for families with young children.
The sanctuary is the setting for the temple's lifecycle events. Weddings can be held inside the sanctuary or out in the meditation garden, and Rabbi Neil also officiates commitment ceremonies and vow renewals, traditionally on Shavuot. Funerals, burials, and cremations are marked with the rabbi's involvement, and Brit Milah, baby-naming, consecration, and Bar or Bat Mitzvah are all celebrated in community.
The Preschool on East Barcelona
Just off the sanctuary, in classrooms with Hebrew names and floor-to-ceiling windows onto two playgrounds and a student-tended garden, the Temple Beth Shalom Preschool is a year-round early childhood center serving children from 18 months old through the year before kindergarten. The school is a private, non-profit program licensed by the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department with a four-star FOCUS rating, and it serves children from all backgrounds and faiths. As of November 1, 2025, New Mexico became the first state in the country to guarantee no-cost child care for all families regardless of income, and the preschool participates in that Universal Child Care initiative, accepting contracts for both part-time and full-time families.
Four classrooms carry Hebrew animal names. Shemesh (sun), for children 18 months to two years, enrolls ten students and focuses on gross-motor and emotional regulation. Doobim (bears), for two- and three-year-olds, expands language and pretend play. Keshet (rainbow), for three- and four-year-olds, is a New Mexico PreK classroom with a state-funded third teacher. Soosim (horses), the oldest classroom, focuses on writing, early reading, and conflict resolution. A weekly art program threads books, seasons, and Jewish holidays through children's projects, and Friday morning Tot Shabbat services bring the whole school together for songs, stories, and age-appropriate prayer.
The preschool is directed by Amelia Byrne-Gonzales, who joined in 2024 after fourteen years in early childhood education. Wraparound care runs from 7:30 am to 8:30 am and from 3:25 pm to 5:25 pm, with a hot lunch program for the PreK classes prepared by Sunday at Grams at no additional cost. Soccer through Challenger Sports Tiny Tykes runs in eight-week fall and spring sessions, and the school year is anchored by family events including a fall Harvest Feast and a March Purim Carnival with a bouncy house and interactive booths. As of May 2026, the preschool is fully enrolled, but parents may submit a waitlist application any time from pre-birth up to age five.
Religious School and Hebrew
On Sundays from 10:00 to noon, the religious school gathers Pre-K through seventh-grade students for a morning of Hebrew, prayer, text, story, and celebration. The school's philosophy treats Jewish learning as something that happens with head, heart, and hands: the head for Hebrew language and Torah, the heart for friendship and values, the hands for service, art, and shared ritual. Each grade's curriculum follows the rhythm of the Jewish year, so that festivals become living doorways into Jewish practice.
Hebrew instruction takes place on Wednesdays from 4:30 to 6:00 pm, giving students a sustained weekly encounter with the language of prayer. By the time students reach B'nei Mitzvah age, they are expected to chant Torah from the scroll in Hebrew, lead parts of the service, prepare a drash on their Torah portion with Rabbi Neil, and complete a Mitzvah Project that gives back to the wider community. Parents are welcomed into the religious school as full partners; a parent handbook and a calendar of family events are sent home at the start of the year. Sheli Marks serves as Director of Education.
Hochberg Academy for Grades 8-12
For older students, the Hochberg Academy picks up where the religious school leaves off. The academy serves Jewish teens in grades 8-12 from across northern New Mexico, gathering on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:30 pm for sophisticated Jewish learning and for the life of the BSTY youth group. The program, made possible by a grant from Stephen and Jane Hochberg, focuses on Jewish identity, ethics, knowledge, and spirituality, while preparing teens for the challenges of college and adulthood.
Ellen Zieselman has directed the youth group for decades, connecting Jewish teens in Santa Fe and across the Southwest through faith-based experiences that have created lifelong friendships. The academy is open to all Jewish 8th- through 12th-graders in the region, not just members of the temple, and students participate in regular programming that has, in recent years, included a trip to Washington, D.C. A snack, the program notes, is always part of the evening.
B'nei Mitzvah as a Community Event
The B'nei Mitzvah program at Temple Beth Shalom is structured around the principle that "You don't have a Bar/Bat/B'nei Mitzvah, you become one." The ceremony is treated as a bespoke ritual that honors the joy and uniqueness of each young person. Every student automatically becomes Bar, Bat, or B'nei Mitzvah upon turning thirteen, and the program gives those who choose to ritualize the moment the tools to do it well: Torah chanting from the scroll in Hebrew, leadership of parts of the service, an individual drash prepared with Rabbi Neil, and a Mitzvah Project that empowers the student to give back.
The program emphasizes the relationships that build during the process: studying with peers, deepening ties with clergy and educators, and learning to take responsibility and leadership within the congregation. Students must be enrolled in the religious school and Hebrew school before beginning B'nei Mitzvah preparation. A B'nei Mitzvah handbook, distributed to families in advance, lays out the requirements and the practice resources.
Lifelong Jewish Learning
Adult education at Temple Beth Shalom is treated as a core congregation activity rather than an add-on. The Torah Study that meets every Saturday morning from 9:00 to 10:00 is the flagship program, drawing the same regulars week after week. For those considering Judaism, an Introduction to Reform Judaism class runs periodically, with a parallel track for people pursuing formal conversion. The class is open both to members and to people exploring Jewish life for the first time.
Beyond Torah Study, the Adult Education Committee organizes an annual slate of courses, lectures, and special presentations. Recent offerings include a multi-part series on adult Jewish learning for the 2026-2027 year, a presentation on the physical and spiritual importance of Israel through the ages, a study of medieval prohibitions against kitniyot on Passover, a reflection on facing intolerance in Santa Fe, and an arrangement of kinot for Tisha B'Av. The committee works closely with the Israel Committee and other committees in the temple to integrate adult learning across the congregation.
The Israel Committee and Reform Values
The Israel Committee is a standing committee of the temple whose members love Israel and work to promote the ideological and spiritual bonds that connect American Jews to the Jewish homeland. The committee sponsors programs and lectures, distributes a weekly e-Digest of news and opinion on Israel and the Middle East, and has hosted Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha'atzmaut events. Recent programming has included Rabbi Neil's multi-part presentation on the Israel-Hamas war and an extended question-and-answer session whose transcript runs to dozens of pages.
The committee operates within the framework of Reform Jewish values and the Union for Reform Judaism's positions, supporting a Jewish and democratic state of Israel secure within its borders while also advocating for Palestinian self-determination, an end to settlement construction, and a halt to settler violence. The committee's peacemaking work has included events with several Israeli-Palestinian dialogue groups, and the temple has been active in Santa Fe vigils and marches for the hostages held in Gaza.
Social Justice as a Calling
Social action is built into the congregation's identity. The Community Action Coalition organizes the temple's work in nine areas: LGBTQ+ rights; food and housing insecurity; climate health; mental health; reproductive rights; legislature and democracy; gun violence prevention; refugee and migrant support; and antisemitism. Volunteers from Temple Beth Shalom serve holiday meals at Pete's Place, and the Mitzvah Corps Meals committee coordinates the temple's ongoing food-related work. A "Take what you need, leave what you can" food pantry operates on an ongoing basis, and members regularly march for the hostages, for racial justice, and for Pride.
The congregation's stance is that Judaism in action is the highest expression of Jewish ethical values. Members are encouraged to plug into whichever issue moves them, and the temple points to its work on the 2017 Rally Against Racism, its vigils and marches, and its ongoing support for the Santa Fe Pride in the Plaza activities as evidence that social justice is not a department here but a posture of the entire community.
Book Club, Library, and Mahjong
Beyond the synagogue's more public programming, Temple Beth Shalom sustains a quieter set of community gatherings. The TBS Book Club, called "People of the Book," has met monthly since April 2022, originally outdoors during the pandemic and, since August 2022, on Zoom. Books are selected two months in advance by the members who attend, and titles skew toward Jewish history, historical fiction, and contemporary fiction with a Jewish theme. Meetings are held at 2:00 pm mountain time, and new members are always welcome.
The library, located in the sanctuary lobby, holds a carefully curated collection of books on every aspect of Jewish life and Judaism, open to every member of the temple community during any time TBS is open. The Library Committee meets weekly between 10:00 am and noon on Wednesdays and welcomes new members, and donated books in good condition, especially those published since 2000, are always welcome. A self-checkout system makes borrowing simple.
On Wednesday afternoons at 1:00, the Rack & Rollers Mahjong group gathers in the temple, and the building hums with a quieter, but no less Jewish, rhythm. The presence of mahjong alongside Torah Study and the choir suggests something true about the temple's character: the synagogue is not only a place of prayer but a place where Jewish adults find each other, week after week, in the company of friends.
Lifecycle Events and the Sanctuary
From the birth of a baby to the passing of a loved one, the circle of life is celebrated at Temple Beth Shalom. Weddings, commitment ceremonies, vow renewals, baby namings, consecrations, B'nei Mitzvah, funerals, burials, and cremations are all part of the rabbi's work. The meditation garden is available for wedding ceremonies alongside the sanctuary itself, and Rabbi Neil will also officiate at a destination of the couple's choosing.
The temple's large social hall, with an outdoor space, is available for rent to outside groups who carry their own liability insurance, and it serves the congregation for Oneg Shabbat receptions, lifecycle events, and committee meetings. The Judaica Gift Shop, open to the public in the office lobby Monday through Friday from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm, stocks Chanukah candles and menorahs, Judaica jewelry, gift wrap, mezuzot and mezuzah cases, tallitot, kippot, glassware, holiday cards, children's toys, and books.
Tzedakah and the Life and Legacy Foundation
Annual membership dues cover about half of the temple's operating budget, and the rest is made up through tzedakah, the Jewish ethical practice of righteousness and justice expressed through giving. The temple maintains a long list of specific funds to which members and friends can direct their gifts: a Building Fund, a Security and Safety Fund, a General Fund, a Rabbi's Discretionary Fund, a Religious School Donation, a Mitzvah Donation to fill the gap for members who cannot afford standard dues, a Music Donation, an Oneg Shabbat Donation, a Library Committee Donation, an Israel Committee Donation, a Hochberg Academy Donation, a Social Justice Donation, a Pride Community Donation, a Torah Study fund, and a Yahrzeit fund. The Chai Circle brings together members and friends who have pledged $1,800 or more per year.
For long-term planning, the Temple Beth Shalom Foundation serves as the congregation's endowment arm, a separate non-profit whose income supports the spirit of continuity L'Dor vaDor, from generation to generation. The foundation currently has approximately $1.4 million under investment, with a goal of reaching $3 million so that the congregation can remain vibrant in Santa Fe for generations to come. The temple participates in the Jewish Community Foundation of New Mexico's Life and Legacy program, and donors who include TBS in their estate plans become members of the TBS Legacy Society.
A Congregation That Thinks of Itself as a Home
For more than seventy-five years, Temple Beth Shalom has offered Santa Fe a Jewish home built on inclusive Reform values, lifelong learning, and a conviction that Judaism is most fully itself when it acts in the world. The congregation's bulletin, published bi-monthly and now past its fiftieth issue, records the steady pulse of that life: classes, lifecycle events, fundraising appeals, social justice projects, and the small, durable friendships that hold a synagogue together. Members who walk through the doors at 205 East Barcelona, whether for a Friday night service, a Saturday morning Torah study, a Sunday religious school drop-off, or a Wednesday afternoon mahjong game, walk into the oldest and largest Jewish congregation in Santa Fe, and into a community that takes its name seriously: it is, by design, a home.