Building Update

Construction of Charles County's First Synagogue

Ground Breaking Ceremony

It was a beautiful June day and the Ground Breaking ceremony was a well attended and meaningful event. There was a speech given by Lee Weinberger telling the story of how the synagogue went from idea to reality. There was a presentation of plaques to the building committee members, a dedication of the synagogue main office to Lee and Madelene Weinberg, breaking of the ground by the congregation presidents (past and present) and ground breaking by the next generation of Jews in Southern Maryland. The event was concluded with hamotze and refreshments.

May 2008: The dream is becoming a reality. A ground breaking ceremony is expected in early June with synagogue completion before "it gets cold."

February 2008: Currently, we are in the second of three phases for the developmental permits. If nothing unforeseen arises, we may be able to break ground in April.

The location for the new synagogue is lot #24 on Post Office Road in Waldorf, MD. As discussed in the October 2007 membership meeting the land has been purchased! The site plan has been resubmitted to the county and is pending final approval.

It is a very exciting time to be part of Congregation Sha'are Shalom. The dreams and plans for a synagogue in Southern Maryland have been a long time in the making. As the dream becomes a reality, and Southern Maryland continues to grow, we look forward to creating a home and growing the Jewish community in the area.