A reading in the Gates of Prayer, our prayer book, begins, "The synagogue is the sanctuary of Israel."  And, indeed, for nineteen hundred years, it has served as the central institution of the Jewish people, the place where Jews go for study, for prayer, and for other communal activities. We think it is safe to say that there would be no Jewish community without the synagogue. The decision to affiliate with a synagogue, therefore, is a decision to help assure the vitality of the Jewish people.

Your affiliation with Congregation Bet Ha'am will bring you opportunities for celebration and learning that will be of personal value to you. The more you participate, the more you will benefit. We will certainly do all we can to make Congregation Bet Ha'am a place that you will call "home" with a smile and a warm feeling.

In our congregation, every member is important, and every member is "family."  Every Jew is welcome here, as are non-Jewish family members.  We teach, we learn, we help one another discover the beauties of Judaism in the context of a caring community.

To ensure the strength of our synagogue community, we must have volunteer and financial support year-round.  We, therefore, rely on people of good will to contribute their fair share.  We anticipate that those who choose to attend our Shabbat or high holy day services year after year will recognize the importance of formally joining our community.  Our dues policy, based on the ability to pay, ensures that everyone can afford to join.  We welcome you to become members of the Bet Ha’am family.

Please contact our office for a membership form and our guidelines for suggested annual dues. In financial as in all other personal matters, we respect the privacy of our members. While we depend upon the financial as well as the volunteer support of our members, everyone is welcome to join regardless of ability to pay.

We hope that you will share your special qualities with us, and add your uniqueness to our lives. We hope you will share in the congregation and the Judaism that is so important to us and the synagogue's members.

Congregation Bet Ha’am, located in South Portland, Maine, just two hours north of Boston, is the spiritual home for an active and growing community of Reform Jews.  With more than 410 member households, 225 Religious School students from pre-school to high school, weekly Shabbat worship and Torah study, and dozens of other opportunities each month for learning about and participating in Jewish life, Bet Ha’am plays a large role in the Jewish community of Southern Maine.

Our members are drawn from all over the southern half of the state, and many of us are transplants from other parts of the country.  Even the newest members find their involvement in worship, committees, classes and other activities greeted with enthusiasm.  There are no prerequisites for participatory membership; many of us have learned about - or expanded our knowledge of - Judaism as a result of joining Congregation Bet Ha’am. read more