Beth Shir Shalom is a wonderful warm community. We joined about 23 years ago as an interfaith couple. Our daughter and son attended the religious school and had their B Mitzvah's there. Those are some of our most treasured memories. As an Arab American who was raised in a Christian household and who married an Ashkenazy Jew, I was so moved by Beth Shir Shalom's welcoming attitude toward people of all backgrounds and religions that, 9 years ago, I decided to become a Jew by choice. There are a wide array of activities for members of all ages including a superb early childhood center, an innovative religious school, an active and well attended youth group, musical and varied Friday evening Shabbat celebrations, wonderful interfaith activities and plenty of adult education opportunities. This is just the tip of the iceberg. It's amazing how much this relatively small synagogue is able to accomplish. This is thanks in no small part to our wonderful executive director Cynthia. Rabbi Neil became Emeritus a few years ago, but is still very much engaged with the community. Our new head rabbi, Rabbi Alex, brings tremendous youthful vigor to the community, leading us as we increase our outreach and hone our strategic vision. read more

Beth Shir Shalom ECC is the best! I am so grateful for Cynthia, Robin, and the entire community of teachers and families. My daughter started when she was 2.5 years old, and she is about to graduate. She is thriving, has made terrific friendships, and is ready for Kindergarten. The teachers are warm, caring, and engaging with the kids. We had such a positive experience, that I decided to start my son ASAP, which was when he turned 18 months. We love that BSS has a full day option because we are a dual working household. Not only are we a part of the preschool community, but we also participate in Synagogue activities including Shabbat and holidays. BSS is a true gem. read more

A proud member for 20+ years. Many touching memories made: my wedding, son's baby naming, father-in-law's funeral. Couldn't ask for a more caring and comforting community. read more

Beth Shir Sholom is an OUTSTANDING pre-school. The teachers and staff are charming, bright, interactive and fantastic with children. Their staff is high energy, inventive and a pleasure to interact with. We have sent all three of our children to Beh Shir and rave about it to all of our friends (many who have sent their kids to Beth Shir as well). Our kids have learned so much from the experience, and developed excellent social skills. The school is truly amazing and the teachers are awesome. A true five-star experience. read more

The Early Childhood Center is the best! We started with Robin's great Mommy and Me class and have since enrolled our daughter in Camp Olam and the Preschool and she loves both! She runs out the door each morning to be with her friends and learn and experience new things. It's an incredible community of caring and fun parents and teachers and we recommend BSS ECC to everyone! read more

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A warm and loving preschool set in the Jewish temple Beth Shir Shalom. Our son is starting his 2nd year in the ECC and we really like the place! The staff is amazing! Robin, the director, is very experienced and is warm and attentive and our son loves her and his teachers. The facilities are just fabulous, lots of sun and air. The curriculum is play based and I definitely see how it encourages my son to learn and participate. The group of parents are very warm and friendly, we feel like we made great friends there. We're glad we chose Beth Shir Shalom as our second home! read more

An incredibly welcoming and fun temple with a great religious school and pre-school. Beth Shir Shalom is my family's community. We are comfortable there and enjoy it. It's a great contrast to the stiff and distant temple I grew up in. There's a lot of music and there are a lot of smiles! read more

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Our family loves this school. The teachers and staff are wonderful. The other parents are kind and supportive. Our daughter loves it and is learning so much. We are beginning our youngest this month because he wants to stay when we drop off his sister. Leaving little ones at school can be hard as a parent, but I know that they are in good hands. read more

Love the charm and really loved and admired the Rabbi Neil Camras as he clearly loves his community.

Took my client here to look around because he is Jewish and was interested in seeing the location. We were denied entry and told we need to make an appointment to look around. read more

We have been enrolled in the preschool for 7 years and I'm sad to say that my youngest will be promoting to kindergarten this coming spring. Beth Shir has been a true blessing to our family over the years. All three of my children have thrived with the warm and loving environment of the teachers and staff. The director, Robin, is AMAZING! She works to build community with the families involved in the school. She is professional and loving all at the same time. I highly recommend this preschool to anyone who asks. read more

We LOVE the preschool at Beth Shir Shalom. Both our daughters attended the school. They recently hired a new director, Randee Norwood, and she is FANTASTIC. The families that send their kids here are all very down-to-earth which can be hard to find in LA. The kids go to a very musical Shabbat kids service on Friday mornings where Rabbi Neil introduces them to the Jewish community in a wonderful way. One of the great things about Beth Shir Shalom is that the kids can transition to the religious school once they enter Kindergarten and then stay connected with a lot of their preschool classmates. We've been at many Friday Shabbat services where the Bar/Bat Mitzvah was a teen who had attended the preschool! It's hard to find a sense of life long community these days - but you really get that at Beth Shir Shalom. read more

We just culminated another beautiful celebration of the High Holy Days experiencing great warmth and music along with the moving liturgy and enlightening, poignant and thought-provoking sermons by the Rabbi. This is our 30th year with this synagogue, and I found it fascinating to meet a couple from Austrialia who are visiting in the area to hear mention that they come to celebrate with Beth Shir Shalom despite options to attend with relatives at other synagogues in the vicinity. Proud to be a long standing member of this community when hearing comments such as this. read more

I was a member of Beth Shir Shalom for 10 years before I moved to Asheville, and I still consider Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels to be my Rabbi. The congregation is hamische and the music is prayerful and meaningful. No rabbi does life cycle events like Rabbi Neil, and his children services are so appropriate and thoughtful. The kids love him. Cantor Soloist Diane Rose has an angel's voice and she directs the choir professionally and treats its members as like family. Social consciousness is paramount and diversity is more than welcome. Try it, you'll like it!!! read more

This preschool is beyond exceptional. From the moment I walked into the school, I knew it was the right place for my daughter. The teachers and staff create a very warm and loving environment. Also, the curriculum is outstanding. They really foster an environment where kids can explore their curiosity, creativity and critical thinking. For example, the kids engage in activities that require them to problem solve as a team - which is very important for social interaction/development. It also teaches them to consider other people's ideas - which again is a very important thing for kids to learn. Not only does the school have a strong academic curriculum, but I feel like the program assists in developing the kids into good citizens of the world. They instilled good values - just one example, my daughter came home one day and was telling me about how we need to do good deeds for one another. These strong values were woven into the curriculum and daily activities. It is such a warm, safe, loving environment where kids can blossom and grow. Also, Cynthia and Robin are OUTSTANDING. They really care about the kids/families/community. It is truly a very special school and I wish we didn't have to leave. I will miss this school very much. read more

A warm shul that is completely welcoming of people of all backgrounds. The services are intimate--meaning small-- and musical. What I really like is that you can 'come as you are' unlike some of the bigger temples on the Westside. No worries about Temple Clothes on Friday nights! The Rabbi is into social action and walks the walk. He is warm, engaging, and interested in applying Jewish thought and ethics to the world around us. The religious school follows in this mode. After a few years of attending High Holy Day services, we chose this temple for religious school, and my son actually did not complain about going. I only wish the congregation was a little larger. read more

We have been with the preschool for six years and could not be happier with the environment, curriculum and community that BSS offers. Two of our kids have graduated and one is midway through. Very warm and caring environment, low key vibe and small school size are big pluses. The philosophy is play-based so that has to align with what parents are looking for. Also nice that even though it's part of a temple there are many other religions represented in the preschool... very welcoming community. A special place in Santa Monica! read more

Our family has been at Beth Shir Shalom for nine years now. It is a small, warm reform community where we are able to worship without feeling boxed in, alienated, or otherwise marginalized. Rabbi Neil is a strong spiritual leader who is very involved in social justice and interdenominational work in L.A. Both my kids attended religious school at BSS. My son and his friends had a good B'nei Mitzvah experience here, and they are still involved with youth group, which has great young leadership from BSS alums. My daughter is still working towards her Bat Mitzvah. If you are a thinking, secular, but strongly Jewish-identified person looking for a shul with a heart, this is the place for you! read more

I love this progressive Reform Synagogue where I can find a diverse group of Jews (and even some non-Jewish family members and friends) engaging in social action, spiritual Judaism, and mindful Jewish tradition. Our family fell in love with the Early Childhood Center (we wanted a play-based curriculum with a lot of outside time) and have continued with the religious school (JELLI). Beth Shir Shalom is a wonderful community of friends. Rabbi Neil infuses the world of Beth Shir Shalom with music and love and a leadership of compassion and strength. read more

I had the worst experience at this school, teachers are very leam and staff are very unprofessional and greedy, please be careful when you are handing them money you wont see a refund from it all. Teachers know exactly what is going on there but they are afraid of there dicator to lose there small paycheck.They are there to take money from you, they are there to make profit from you not teaching to professional way. Be careful they will ask you to hire a extra shadow to take more money out of you. There is nothing jewish about it even based on the reform, Its not even a synagogue (church). They do not standing up to claiming for being modern educated certified school show you all kinds of certification they dont even stand up. They are a BIG RIP OFF SCHOOL, From a parent you are making a mistake by sending your kids to this non jewish school. read more

No one tells you the work that goes into finding a school for your kids once you have them.We switched to this school after the previous preschool that my daughter attended changed ownership. My daughter and I were both immediately impressed with the warmth we felt from all of the teachers and staff as well as from the other parents. My daughter has learned so much and gets so excited about attending every day that I feel comfortable leaving her there. She loves it so much that quite often she doesn't want to leave when I come to pick her up. read more

Beth Shir Sholom ECC is a great place to have your children! I have met and spoke with many of the neighbors as I walk my child in, and they have never mentioned anything about parking and also have been nothing but kind. The school is amazing (you will have to see for yourself) and the teachers are one of a kind! I can hardly get my son to leave every day, he would rather be at school than going to the park (his next favorite task). The teachers work with you on anything and everything (including toilet training) and have great skills in working with both the children and the parents! You don't have to be Jewish to have your children enrolled, and if you want to be a member of the temple, you can get that for practically free when your child goes there. If you are a member, the temple provides many services such as beginning Hebrew, intro to Judaism, etc. as well as your regular temple services. We love this place and everything about it. I honestly couldn't imagine the Temple committee ignoring the neighbors. For one, the review below should be placed under "Beth Shir Sholom" and not Beth Shir Sholom Early Childhood Center, as the thread is specifically for the ECC. And I can say that although I don't live within three blocks of this neighborhood, I have never had a problem finding parking, and that usually when the streets are at peek parking it is pickup and/or drop off for the ECC. The temple does encourage us to use the parking down the street, BUT if you have children, you may understand how hard it is to lug a baby on your arm, your toddlers backpack, lunch, and bedding along with your toddler down blocks and across streets, especially when you will be parked there for a total of 4-5 minutes. Also, there are three different times that parents do pickup, making it less crowded (12,3 or 5). Personally we pick our son up at 3 and I never have a problem finding parking, and in 5 minutes when I leave, there is always adequate parking. As well as the fact that many of the children that attend here live in walking distance, and walk or bike to school daily. The ECC does not generally hold any special events late as these are toddlers and preschoolers. ;) I think the comment below may have been refereed the the Temple services, which are held on Friday nights, and the attendees are encouraged to use the overflow parking lot (the ten space one refereed to in other comment is used to temple employees such as the Rabbi.) I can see how one could be upset about the parking if it were a problem, but no offense to the person who wrote the other review... there is another school (gardge on Angels) on same block, as well as a Church so I wouldn't put the blame on one place more than another... but all in all, I never have a hard time finding parking. read more

This is a great community with dedicated staff and clergy. The members are warm and inclusive and the Rabbi is informed, mindful and creative. The music and services stir the soul. This is a synagogue that appeals to all, I'm so glad I found Beth Shir Shalom read more

We have two grandchildren who attended Beth Shir Shalom's Preschool for whom we were often involved in dropping off and picking them up. We got to know the teachers and staff pretty well. It was a wonderful experience for our grand kids.. They looked forward to going there and made close friends. It is a loving, warm Jewish community. The teachers were great and provided them with an introduction to their Jewish heritage. We couldn't be happier with the school and what it provides. read more

The school got a new director recently (Randee Norwood) and WOW is she great! BSS has transformed into a top-of-the-line preschool. We looked at other schools in the neighborhood, but they all felt cliquish and snooty. One of them actually asked what my education level was (I have a PhD, but how is that even remotely relevant to my kid's school?) and another went on and on about the celebrities who sent their kids there (as if that matters to the quality of the school). BSS has a warm community of extremely nice parents. More importantly: it's truly a child-centered facility. They focus on fun and play, which my kid loves, and all the recent research says is far better for young preschool kids than an academic setting. read more

My daughter went here for 2 years. Overall, I think it's a safe, decent place for kids. She had no problem with it, aside from not really bonding with many of the other kids. Part of that I blame on young age and personality, but I also blame the school for not making an effort to foster her connections to other kids. The real problem I had was with the staff. It felt like the staff favored certain parents, and if you weren't one of them it felt VERY cold. The teachers have very high turnover and after walking into the class unannounced several times it seemed that they didn't always have adequate coverage given the number of children. That said, none of the issues I had with the school seemed to affect my child. Only now that she atttends another Santa Monica school and I can compare the two. She herself tells me she doesn't miss her old school, and she's made tons of friends in her new school. As a parent, the new school just feels more inclusive and warmer. As with anything, you just need to see what works for your particular child and family. read more