Our Story: A Jewish Home for All Generations
Find Your Place at Beth Shalom
Congregation Beth Shalom is a welcoming Reform Jewish community where people come together to worship, learn, celebrate, support one another, and build lasting relationships.
We are shaped by the people who call CBS home—their stories, experiences, traditions, questions, and hopes for our shared future. Whether you are new to the Indianapolis area, exploring Judaism, looking for a Jewish community, or have been part of CBS for years, there is a place for you here.
Our Story
Congregation Beth Shalom began in the fall of 2010, when a handful of families imagined a smaller congregational experience where every person could participate, contribute, and have a voice in shaping Jewish life together.
In 2012, CBS was fortunate to engage Rabbi Stanley Halpern, whose spiritual guidance helped us expand and enrich our worship and educational experiences. During his tenure, the congregation celebrated two important milestones: our first Bar Mitzvah and the establishment of our Religious School. In 2019, Rabbi Justin Kerber joined the CBS family, bringing experience as a hospital chaplain, Hillel director, and congregational rabbi—gifts that continue to support the diverse needs and interests of our community.
Over the years, the congregation has continued to flourish, offering expanded worship opportunities, supporting life cycle events, providing adult learning opportunities, and establishing our Sisterhood and Brotherhood.
Our Mission
Congregation Beth Shalom is a Reform congregation committed to the spiritual, educational and cultural needs of the central Indiana Jewish community. We are an inclusive congregation run by and for our members. We welcome everyone regardless of age, race, ethnicity, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation, family or socioeconomic status, educational background, political affiliation, physical or mental ability, faith history or life experience. Jews by birth, Jews by choice, and interfaith families are welcome to participate in the warmth and fellowship of our congregation.
What to Expect on Your First Visit
At Congregation Beth Shalom, you can expect a warm welcome, a relaxed atmosphere, and a community that is glad you are here. People arrive at CBS from many different backgrounds and life experiences, and there is room for you to participate at your own pace.
Our services and programs are approachable and participatory, with room for both tradition and personal connection. You do not need to know Hebrew, know the prayers, or have everything figured out before you walk through the door. Come as you are.
CBS is a small, close-knit congregation where people quickly become familiar faces. We hope your first visit feels less like entering an institution and more like being welcomed into a Jewish home for all generations.
“As a founding member of CBS and past president, what I love the most about CBS is the congregational family we have created. I can attend almost anything alone, or with my husband, and feel welcomed, engaged and surrounded by the absolute warmth of CBS.”
–Beth