Temple Beth Shalom has undergone tremendous growth and changes during its seven decades, but one thing has remained constant: This is a hands-on synagogue—one that has been built and sustained by the devotion and sense of community of its congregants. Temple Beth Shalom has always been a family of families.

It started in in July 1947 with a meeting of a small group of local Jews who founded The Hebrew Community Center in Florda. The meeting was called by Herman Rudnick, Louis Gordon, Nathan Werner, Irving Denenberg, and Myron Cohen. Members were drawn from Florida, Chester, Warwick, and Goshen. A permanent organization, with by-laws, officers and a treasurer was developed within several months.

Hebrew and religious education for the children was thefl first priority. The Florida Fire Department supplied a Sunday School room. Organization meetings, from the start, were held at the Florida American Legion Hall. During the first three years, High Holiday services were held in the Twin Pines Home, a small boarding house on the Florida - Chester border.

By 1949 the congregation was ready to build its own permanent home. David Werner and Samuel Chiron donated adjacent lots and the congregation itself purchased two additional lots, totaling up to about an acre and a half. In January 1951, a New Year's Eve party was held with the ground floor nearly complete. The building was completed in early summer 1951, and was dedicated in the fall.

The women of the congregation organized soon after the general membership did, making it their special task to furnish the building. The altar and reading tables, seats, carpeting, draperies, kitchen, and much more were supplied through their work. First called the Ladies Auxiliary, they are now known as the Sisterhood of Temple Beth Shalom.

In 1956 the members added a home for the Rabbi and his or her family.

In keeping with their concern for the Jewish education of the children, the Chiron - Friedman School Wing was added to the Hebrew Community Center of Florida. Work began in October 1960. The cost of the school was $18,000. The wing was dedicated on Sunday, April 16, 1961.

In this period of the early 1960's the membership added the all-important designation of Temple Beth Shalom to its name, thus emphasizing its identity as a house of worship. Land for a cemetery in Florida was acquired in 1968. Also at this time, after much deliberation, the members chose to affiliate with the Conservative Movement and joined the United Synagogues of America. This affiliation continued through 1974.

As the makeup of the membership changed, in 1974 it was decided that an affiliation with the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the Reform Movement, would best serve the community. The official UAHC charter was presented to the congregation in 1976.

The next two decades found the temple growing in size until it became necessary, once again, to add classroom space to the building. And once again this Temple Beth Shalom family came together to answer the need. In 1998, a gift from the William and Viola Rosenberg family was matched by donations from the congregation. Temple members literally rolled up their sleeves doing all the interior work on a five-classroom addition with two handicapped accessible bathrooms and a ramp to the sanctuary.

The most recent major renovation was in 2004, when a new state-of-the-art kitchen was installed to serve the social hall, thanks to a donation from Howard Cohen and his sister Lois Cohen Bateman. Temple Beth Shalom hosted the Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service that year, and used the occasion to dedicate the new kitchen.

The Temple Beth Shalom of today offers a unique blend of religious and cultural observance to its members. In addition, educational programming is offered to congregants of all ages. Interfaith families are more than welcome. As Temple Beth Shalom continues to change and grow, it remains a a haimishe home for all its members.