Our Holy Place
Harry and Rose Samson Sanctuary
Congregation Shalom, a sanctuary of peace, bids you a welcome of peace. May our sanctuary be a house of prayer for all people. The Harry and Rose Samson sanctuary is our home for worship. The sanctuary is enhanced with the artwork of Suzi Derzon, our artist in residence. The Harry and Rose Samson sanctuary, dedicated in 1991-92, is a source of spiritual and artistic elegance. As Suzi worked on the sanctuary, she constantly thought of the sun, light and shadow, and air -- all gifts of God. She felt the colored-faceted glass "Tree of Life"--full of blues, purples, greens, yellows, and oranges was the best background, both spiritually and aesthetically, for the Ark. The result is stunning and awe-inspiring.
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Our Building
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"Ten Commandment Windows"
Ten beautiful works of art adorn the west wall of the synagogue. These "Ten Commandment" windows have been beautifully designed and executed by our resident artist, Suzi Derzon. From right to left the windows are symbolized in Hebrew.
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Memorial Scrolls Trust
In a brave effort to subvert Nazi annihilation, workers in the Jewish Museum in Prague rescued 1,564 scrolls from destruction in 1942. Tenderly handled, meticulously restored, and painstakingly preserved, these scrolls stand as a remarkable tribute to the Jewish ability to survive, revive and regenerate.
Although many Jewish lives were lost, the continuation of Jewish culture, tradition, and memory lives on through the preservation of the Czech scrolls. Congregation Shalom is fortunate to be one of 1,000 synagogues throughout the world to house a Czech scroll. Their presence encourages us to engage with our own Judaism, recognize and confront hatred in our own society, and continue our story to future generations.
Torah Scroll number MST#477 is from the Pinkas Synagogue in Prague, and is loaned to Congregation Shalom through the generosity of the Memorial Scrolls Trust. More information about the Czech scrolls and the Memorial Scrolls Trust can be found at www.memorialscrollstrust.org.
