Beth Shalom Congregation in Columbia has a niche. There’s a handful of synagogues in the area, but none have the unique qualities that it does — qualities that a resident of an area with a larger Jewish population may be surprised by.

“We’re the only Conservative synagogue in Howard County that has a building,” President Alan Spiegel said.

Spiegel said that people who join Beth Shalom are interested in a traditional form of Judaism, something that can be harder to find in areas that don’t have deeply entrenched Jewish communities like Baltimore or Washington, D.C.

“They’re looking for the traditions, wearing a kippah, tallit, the prayers. Our religious school is a little more formal and meets twice a week. Many of them come from a Conservative background, and many of them were brought up either Orthodox or modern Orthodox and they’re looking for something a little more flexible,” he said.

While Beth Shalom observes in a traditional sense, it maintains progressive values that also helps it attract new members.

“Howard County is a relatively liberal area, and we are very encouraging to the LGBT community,” Spiegel said.

The proof can be found in Beth Shalom’s rich history. It has been around for approximately 55 years, and has occupied its current home on Harriet Tubman Lane since the mid-1990s.

How Spiegel and his family came to join is a story that is familiar to many families in the outer reaches of Baltimore and D.C.

“My wife and I moved from San Francisco to Baltimore, in Canton. We decided to have a child, and when it came to schools, we knew eventually we’d have to send a child to school, and so we moved to Howard County,” Spiegel said. “I wanted a little more tradition that goes with being Conservative, and Beth Shalom fit that. The people were friendly, and it’s worked out well.”

This is Spiegel’s second year as president, but he has been a member at Beth Shalom for 25 years. Over that time, there are a number of things he has grown especially proud of at the shul.

“I think our High Holy Days are excellent. We’re very open, friendly and egalitarian. When people come to services [in general] we try to go out of our way to welcome them and have someone who’s knowledgeable about practices and services sit with them,” Spiegel said.

For Spiegel, one of the ultimate points of pride is Beth Shalom’s religious school. The new education and youth director, Moshe Ben-Lev, has helped transform the program into something quite special.

“He’s incorporated new practices and getting people to be very happy. The goal is to have a b’nai mitzvah, and people working with him and our cantor and rabbi, they do a really great job,” Spiegel said.

Every synagogue has b’nai mitzvot and young adults who do a great job at conducting them, but at Beth Shalom, these ceremonies go so well because the skills necessary are practiced from a young age.

“We get them into learning and chanting as early as possible, and it works really well,” Spiegel said.

Beth Shalom is a growing community, with about 95% of its members coming from Howard County and a small number coming from Baltimore and Montgomery County. They have members who are more focused on cultural events in addition to the many who are observant and focused on weekly services and Torah study.

Beth Shalom has built a strong and growing community over more than five decades in Howard County. More than five decades after its founding, it continues to attract new members while remaining rooted in the traditions and values that have sustained it for generations.

aguckes@midatlanticmedia.com