A home of our own has been a dream for generations of Jews living in Juneau.

Over the years we have met and worshiped in residences, churches, community centers, schools, restaurants and private businesses. We have moved books and religious items from spot to spot to spot and our children have studied in many different places.

Through it all we have maintained our commitment to our Jewish faith and heritage. We have kept Judaism in our hearts, passed it to our children, and shared it with our neighbors.

Our synagogue is not just a building, it is our home. A home where all are welcomed. A home where we may gather in joy as well as sorrow. A home where we will agree and disagree. A home where we may finally settle, as our ancestors settled after their wanderings.

A home built on a foundation more than a hundred years old. From its earliest days, there has been a Jewish presence in Juneau.

Our lives have been blessed by those who came before us who have touched our lives and shaped our future. Our community is made stronger by the memory and bond each of them have given us, weaving our histories together and helping us realize the dream of a permanent Jewish home in Alaska’s capital city.

Many of our members have roots in Juneau’s Jewish community going back scores of years, or even more than a century. Others are more recent arrivals, but no less dedicated to the community. Over the years individuals and families have moved in and out of Juneau. Rabbis and student Rabbis have led us and advised us. Couples have married, babies have been born, children and adults have studied and learned, and beloved members have passed away.

Community members have given countless hours to help teach our children, write our newsletter, serve on our board, organize holidays and special occasions, provide both personal and financial support both to groups and individuals – not all of whom are related to us – in need assistance, and have remembered people when they need a helping hand or a word of encouragement.

The existence of this synagogue has been a joint effort that fulfills the hopes, dreams and efforts of countless, though not faceless, Juneauites. We thank all of them for making Temple Sukkat Shalom not just a possibility, but a reality.