Santa Monica : Synagogue Changes Names

Perhaps the only Jewish congregation named after a Catholic saint, Santa Monica Synagogue has changed its name to Sha’arei Am, Hebrew for “gates of the people.”

The synagogue, affiliated with the more liberal Reform wing of Judaism, spent several years as a tenant in the sanctuary of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.

“Between our years at St. Paul’s and our ‘Santa Monica’ title, perhaps we should rename ourselves ‘All Saints’ Synagogue,” a member said in a press release.

Instead, with a recent move to its own quarters on 18th Street, the 10-year-old group sought a Hebrew name that would suggest “a multiplicity of avenues into Jewish life as well as a reflection of the solidarity of Jews as people,” the statement said.

In order to stress its location, and to keep a link with the past, the temple will be known as Sha’arei Am: The Santa Monica Synagogue.