About Us

The only way to truly understand the Adath Shalom experience is to engage with us. Please come visit our welcoming home.

Our Mission:

Adath Shalom exists to nurture the Jewish identity of all who enter our doors by making Judaism continually and increasingly relevant in our lives. An egalitarian and inclusive community affiliated with the Conservative movement, we are dedicated to Torah, tradition and each other. We celebrate Judaism in a creative, warm and life-affirming manner, and welcome the diverse views and participation of members of all abilities in the evolution of our spiritual and community soul.

We, at Adath Shalom, commit to the following:

• To welcome members and guests with warmth and hospitality
• To recognize our obligation to one another, our responsibility to other Jews, and our desire to help the community at large
• To bring life and excitement to Jewish education for children and adults, and commit ourselves to lifelong learning and growth
• To create an atmosphere in religious services that brings the joy, beauty and spirituality of Judaism into our lives

Our History:

Adath Shalom is a beautiful synergistic community created from the merger of two earlier synagogues.  Adath Israel of Dover was a historic Jewish community that slowly took shape from the bustling community that rose on the banks of the Morris Canal as far back as 1869.  The Dover Jewish Center, whose first building in 1917 replaced the rented stores and congregants’ homes, was originally an Orthodox shul serving generations of the foundational community of families whose memory and connection to Morris County stretches back to well over a century.  Remarkably, it was the fundraising efforts of our Sisterhood (then called the Women’s Auxiliary) that raised the necessary capital to build our first historic building in Dover.

Temple Israel of Boonton was a neighboring synagogue rich with young families who arrived in the 1960’s and 1970’s and who built a joyful Conservative Jewish community of their own.   The two communities came together in 1988, the older Adath Israel providing a senior generation with deep knowledge and deep roots in Morris County while Temple Israel nurtured the new congregation with its youthful energy and contemporary outlook.  The merger was accomplished through visionary leadership and the humor, warmth, good will and Ahavat Yisrael, love of Jews for each other and the community that are part of what makes Adath Shalom so special.   Come and experience our living history yourself!