Shul by the Pool dates back to 2005. That summer, Bob, Susan and Jackie moved from New York to Los Angeles and had not yet found time to find and join a Temple. But Oct. 4th was the first day of Rosh Hashanah and they knew that somehow they wanted to celebrate the holiday.

Figuring they’d join a temple the following year, they decided to have a little service at home and to invite a few friends. Our first guests included Sam Pitman and Erica Levy (they weren’t married yet) and George Lange (a NY friend who happened to be in LA). Memories and photos don’t suggest anyone else attended (other than Jackie, Susan and Bob).

The temple was initially dubbed Temple Shaaray Te Feldman – a reference to Temple Shaaray Tefila, the temple the Feldmans belonged to in New York on 2nd Avenue and 79thStreet. It was in 2009 that Shaaray Te Feldman took its current name, Shul by the Pool. The best recollection is the name was suggested by Peter Mathes.

Following Rosh Hashanah services, lunch was served – a tradition that continues.

Yom Kippur was Thursday, Oct. 13th– a morning service that meant no food afterwards. This tradition of a morning service continued until 2011, when Yom Kippur services were moved to a Yizkor service – at sunset – so the congregation could enjoy a proper break-fast!

Word spread of these High Holiday services and the congregation has grown over the years. From that first service of six people, the next year the congregation attracted 14 people, then 50 and now we host nearly 100 congregants for Rosh Hashanah and nearly 50 for Yom Kippur.

A few things have changed, but not much. Rosh Hashanah services are held in the house now so we can accommodate the size of our congregation (as well as avoid the heat of direct sunshine). Dress remains informal, though not quite as informal as it was in the early days.

And beginning in 2014, we began the practice of inviting stimulating guest speakers to address the congregation after the Rosh Hashanah service. See the Speakers section of this site for a listing of past speakers.