About SAMS

We are a thriving and welcoming community that comes together for Shabbat, High Holy days and other festivals throughout the year as well as for a variety of social and educational events.  Founded in 1990 by three local families, we have grown to be one of the most dynamic, friendly and fast-growing Jewish communities in the UK.  We now have over 200 adult members and nearly as many children, a thriving Cheder which teaches Jewish studies and Hebrew to over 50 children in an environment that is both informative and fun, a wide range of youth clubs and activities covering ages 8 – 16, a variety of social and educational activities for our adults, a successful GCSE course, and much more besides!. 

Our Shabbat services are held every week in a venue in the centre of St Albans. We are members of the Assembly of Masorti Synagogues (AMS), egalitarian in our approach and following the traditional orthodox form of service.

Our purpose, which we use to guide all we do is as follows:

“St Albans Masorti Synagogue – SAMS – is a centre for Jewish life in St Albans and the surrounding area. As a Masorti community we are inspired by the Jewish traditions of our ancestors and aware of our responsibility to our descendants.

Our aim is to grow and to provide more and better services for our members without losing the warmth and friendship that is so important to all of us.

• We look for opportunities to connect to members and potential members;
• we aim to welcome them warmly and give them a sense of belonging to the community.
• We come together to celebrate: to pray, play, support and care for one another and to take our part in the healing of the world.
• We educate our members, from pre-school to adults, to deepen their knowledge of and commitment to Jewish life and community.
• We depend on the participation and involvement of our members for our continued growth”.

We welcome visitors, particularly those who are interested in visiting us or finding out more information about us.  Please contact us, and come and experience one of our services or events!