In 1990 three families understood the potential to grow a Jewish community around St Albans. They were seeking different values to those of their current community, with more community activities and engagement. They realised their Jewish values were best met within the Masorti movement and drew on support from Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg and Edgware Masorti Synagogue, as well as Chazan Jaclyn Chernett, a founder of Masorti Judaism UK.
From the start these dedicated members set out to create a warm, welcoming and supportive synagogue with traditional services, providing education and activities which reflected Masorti halachah and values.
30 years on, a word from our founders on their hopes for SAMS:
“We wish every member to always be considered of equal importance and the Synagogue to remain welcoming to visitors and a place where members feel involved and supported.”
30 Years of SAMS
We’re pleased that in three decades we’ve gone from 3 families to over 200. There’s plenty more room to grow, but we know we’re only just starting. Watch some photos from our first thirty years below:
Our Heritage
Mapping SAMS Roots
At SAMS we have collected stories from our community members to share:
SAMS Roots received Heritage Lottery funding for interviews with twelve members of the community. Full transcripts and audio files are in the University of Hertfordshire Heritage Hub.
Mapping SAMS Roots invited members to contribute family stories which are displayed together with a virtual map at our historypin page. If you would like help collecting stories from your own community, please contact info@e-sams.org for our Mapping Toolkit.
These projects led to the Arriving and Belonging exhibition, where stories have been chosen to illustrate universal themes and show how our families arrived in St Albans and made it their home.