Congregation Brith Sholem is a small and friendly Jewish community in Ogden, Utah. Ogden is located along the base of the Wasatch Front mountain range about 40 miles north of the Salt Lake City International Airport. Our membership currently consists of nearly 50 households. The size of our congregation affords us the benefits of being a close-knit community. Our synagogue is a very comfortable place to meet and to pray, with a true feeling of warmth and family, whether you're in the synagogue or attending one of our many activities.

Our congregation is made up of singles, young families, empty nesters, and seniors. The congregation includes Jews of all backgrounds, including Jews by choice, and interfaith families. Although we are currently affiliated with the Union of Reform Judaism (URJ), we generally use Conservative siddurim (prayer books) for our holiday services and observances. We use Hebrew as a regular part of our Shabbat services, which are highly participatory and typically feature a mix of traditional and more contemporary melodies.

Brith Sholem is an active, caring, and religiously observant congregation. Shabbat services are conducted every Friday evening and/or Saturday morning. We are currently enrolled in the URJ Student Rabbi program. This provides us a qualified and enthusiastic leader for the High Holidays and one weekend a month for Shabbat services and other functions, including Torah study and adult and youth education. About once a month we hold a Family Shabbat service instead of a standard Friday evening service. We celebrate many of the Jewish holidays and festivals as a community, such as a Yom Kippur Break-the-Fast, Sukkot, Simchat Torah, Hanukkah, Tu B'Shevat, Purim and a Passover Seder. The synagogue also sponsors many social events throughout the year. 

Brith Sholem places a high priority on the education of our children. Since 1998, Brith Sholem has offered religious school for the children of our community in order to build their Jewish identity and increase their involvement in Jewish life. In weekly classes during the academic year, pre-K through b'nai mitzvah-age students learn Hebrew and Judaic studies in classes with an average 1:5 teacher-to-student ratio.

Education doesn't stop with formal schooling at Brith Sholem; life-long Jewish learning is a goal we seek to attain in many ways. In addition to the adult education sessions led by our student rabbi, there is an ongoing-book discussion group and special educational programs. Our adult b'nai mitzvah class has been very popular, and we regularly conduct how-to-read-Hebrew courses for adults.

The sisterhood of Congregation Brith Sholem pursues a full slate of activities throughout the year, including educational, spiritual, community service, and social events.

1999 saw the formation of a Youth Group designed to foster religious and social opportunities for our children ages 8 to 18.

Brith Sholem's social action programs are both formal and informal, local and global. We participate in Interfaith Works, an organization comprised of member churches and congregations of many faiths that help the needy of Ogden and the surrounding area in many ways. Our members carry out targeted tzedakah projects throughout the year and also make regular contributions to Jewish social action agencies operating around the world.

Our membership dues are structured for families, singles, and students at extremely reasonable rates.

Congregation Brith Sholem provides a place and the means for its congregants to worship G-d in the traditions of Judaism, to study Judaism, to partake in Jewish education resources, to gather together to form a religious community, to sanctify special moments in the life-cycle and calendar cycle, to perform deeds of caring and compassion within and outside of our community, and to acquire the knowledge, skill, and desire to live as learned and committed Jews, thereby ensuring Jewish continuity. These ideals are pursued under the auspices of the small and caring community that is Congregation Brith Sholem. We seek to provide a true Jewish community in Northern Utah that meets the needs of all of its members. We welcome your interest and participation in any of our activities.

Judi Amsel, President