Temple Shalom, by The Villages, Florida, with over 600 members, is located in Oxford, Central Florida.  Our membership of all ages is drawn from Sumter, Lake, Marion and Citrus counties as well as other counties in the area such as Alachua.  We are located immediately adjacent to The Villages with easy access by golf cart, and, by car from the larger multi county area via several highways and the nearby Florida Turnpike or I-75.

Looking towards rear of sanctuary and main entrance doors

Our Congregation, originally known as the New Jewish Congregation, was founded in 2001, groundbreaking for our current Temple building was in August 2005, and the first regular Shabbat Services were held December 2006. 

Our Temple is the focal point of a large, growing and vibrant multi generational Jewish community with over 600 members as of September 2011.   Children are welcome and training for Bar and Bas Mitzvah’s is provided.  Our members are a friendly and caring group of people who welcome children and adults of all ages who care to worship with us.

We are a Reform congregation using the Gates of Prayer prayer book. Our Ark houses our eighty-five year old European Torah and two additional Torah’s donated by members.

In addition to Friday night services at 7:30PM every week and Saturday morning services at 9:30AM the last Saturday of each month, the Temple holds services for Jewish holidays including, among others, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Succot.; Torah study follows Saturday morning services.

During Passover and other holidays, the Temple hosts traditional meals for the congregation, their guests and others from the community who wish to attend. Holiday meals are held at the Temple or at local restaurants.

Torah study, continuing Jewish education and Bar, Bat and B’nai Mitzvah classes are also conducted.

Our Temple family is very active and includes a vibrant Sisterhood and Brotherhood.  Events include many charitable events, interfaith meetings, Shabbat Dinners, weekly Bingo for 120 -140 participants, Mah Jongg tournaments, a wide variety of musical events, fashion shows and lecturers on a wide variety of topics of historical, scientific, economic or timely interest.

Temple Shalom is accessible by golf cart from The Villages, is within short driving distance of the Lady Lake, Summerfield, Leesburg, Tavares, Ocala and Inverness areas and can be easily reached from Gainesville via the Florida Turnpike and from the Brooksville/Bushnell area via I-75. Temple Shalom is easily accessible from Orlando and Tampa areas and airports via the Florida Turnpike and I-75.

 

Congregation members of all ages participate in services

Click here for a History of Temple Shalom

The Members Only web page contains Contact Information for those Temple members leading specific functions, activities, committees and groups at Temple Shalom.  The Members Only 2 web page contains a Rent Your Home to Others/Available For Rent and Want to Rent a Home section,  Buy and Sell  section for Temple members to offer items for sale to other members, a Purchasing Experiences section for Temple members to exchange information on local vendors, services and retailers, a section titled Can Someone Answer This Question? for Temple members to ask other Temple members if they can answer a question where a descriptive response is required, and, a section titled Lend a Helping Hand for Temple members looking for other Temple members who can loan them tools like a ladder, provide a ride to Publix, car pool somewhere, etc.  The Members Only and Members Only 2 web pages are accessible only after Secure Login by providing your user name and password on this web page.

Those who are already members should have received user names and passwords. If members wish to access the secure Members Only or Members Only 2 web pages but have not received a user name or password, or, are having trouble using their user name or password, please contact John Sears by telephone or email.

Please remember to patronize the local advertisers who appear on and support this website and support our Temple.

Temple Shalom first night Menorah lighting ceremony Hanukkah December 2011 at Spanish Springs, The Villages Florida, at Interfaith Holiday Display.   Several hundred persons attended the first candle lighting.                                   

 

Instead of driving through and shoveling snow, you could be living in Florida and driving your golf cart or car to Shabbat services, entertainment and special events at Temple Shalom adjacent to The Villages.......and during the rest of the week?

Webmasters R Fishman and J Sears