Things to Consider When Hosting an Event at Am Shalom

1. As a house of worship, the religious service is Am Shalom's top priority.

First and foremost, Am Shalom is a house of worship. Please keep in mid that because we are a synagogue, we are limited in the types of rooms and supportst you find at hotels and event venues. This means that for many event types, you'll need to book early with a signed agreement along with your deposit, and potentially hire a party/event planner to support your event.

2. Everyone must follow the agreed-upon rental times.

Am Shalom is a busy place - a vibrant multi-functional facility. On any given day, we orchestrate a range of temple functions, host broader Judaic events, serve as a community location for election days and blood drives, hold religious school and lead life cycle events. We must account for everyone's timelines, from set-up through clean-up, in order to accommodate all types of synagogue events - often all at once.

3. Event spaces are reservable only on a first-come, first-served basis.

To be fair to everyone, all event spaces are reservable only on a first-come, first-served basis. This is especially important for Bet Mitzvah families. If your child's service is in the morning and you wish to welcome your guests back for an evening event, so long as you are the first to reserve a space that safely accommodates your guest count, that space - at that time - may be yours. This means, for example, that an afternoon Havdalah service does not automatically receive the evening time slot.

4. Once agreements are accepted, deposits are non-refundable.

Once your agreement has been accepted by Am Shalom, your deposit is non-refundable. Am Shalom has only one of each room type available for celebrations and we often have multiple families on one Saturday. This deposit allows us to protect your reservation of the space (s) and time(s) you want for your event. We trust you understand that we are not in a position to turn down other families until your nonrefundable deposit has been received.

5. Spaces, faces, and time = rental fees.

Rental fees outlined in the Service & Celebration Agreement are based on the particular event spaces (main social hall, Crown Room, complete social hall, etc.), plus the number of guests and type of event you are envisioning and the amount of set-up and clean-up times required for these different spaces. The maximum number of pre- and post-event hours are clearly specified and need to be honored to allow Am Shalom to welcome all families on a given day.