Welcome

Congregation Beth Yeshurun is a proud affiliate of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, serving nearly 2,000 families in Houston, bringing them to experience the joy of Jewish living, providing for their spiritual, educational, and social needs.

About Us

CONGREGATION BETH YESHURUN embraces the philosophy and values of Conservative Judaism. Our mission centers on creating:

• A spiritual community celebrating the richness and traditions of Torah, prayer and life cycle events
• A learning community enriching Jewish knowledge and experience for all ages
• A caring community encouraging social interaction and Tikkun Olam in order to strengthen ourselves, our families, the Jewish people, and Eretz Yisrael​​​​​​

Our Vision

To have Congregation Beth Yeshurun be a Synagogue that provides Spiritual, Educational and Community involvement with activities that promotes the ideals of Conservative Judaism, be the leading Jewish Institution in the Houston Community.

Our History

A Century of Community Beth Yeshurun's traces its roots to the founding of Adath Yeshurun in 1891. In 1946 Adath Yeshurun merged with Beth El, to form the current Beth Yeshurun and in 2002 Beth Yeshurun we absorbed the membership of Shearith Israel in nearby Wharton, Texas. Throughout its 120+ year history, Beth Yeshurun congregants  have been leaders not only within the synagogue but across Houston's broader Jewish community,  and  social service agencies.

The Jack Segal Academy — formerly the Beth Yeshurun Day School and  the first Jewish Day School in Houston – was founded in 1949 when Rabbi William Malev^z"l championed its creation. Since then, more than 2000 graduates have gone on to become doctors, attorneys, businessmen and women, mothers and fathers, civic leaders, and pillars in the Jewish communities  in Houston and across the country. 

Our Home In 1962, Beth Yeshurun became the first Houston synagogue to relocate outside of the "old Jewish quarter"—a move that shaped the city's Jewish geography as residences, other synagogues, and businesses followed. Now centrally located among 80% of Houston's Jewish community, we continue to be a progressive leader among Houston's Jewish community while maintaining stability of tradition.

Our Facility  A major renovation and expansion completed in 2004 added more than 30,000 square feet and transformed our campus. Today Beth Yeshurun is home to three beautiful sanctuaries – the J. B. Greenfield Chapel, the Freedman Levit Sanctuary, and the Barg Family Sanctuary – along with three conference rooms, and four multipurpose rooms/auditoriums ranging in size from 1,600 to 10,000 square feet and kosher meat, dairy, and pareve kitchens capable of  preparing  banquets for up to 800 guests. 

Rising from Harvey. In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey flooded the entire facility, including all three sanctuaries. In an extraordinary outpouring of support, our members — along with Jewish communities across the country and as far as Israel — raised $7 million to fund a full restoration. By February 2019, Beth Yeshurun had been completely refurbished, emerging stronger and more beautiful than ever.

Our Clergy Beth Yeshurun has been shaped by exceptional rabbinic and cantorial leadership. In the synagogue's  80 years, we have had only 4 Senior Rabbis - Rabbi William Malev^z"l led the Congregation for 27 years, followed by Rabbi Jack Segal^z"l for 23 years, then Rabbi David Rosen from 1996-2018, who now serves as Rabbi Emeritus.  Senior Rabbi Brian Strauss who joined as Assistant Rabbi in 2001, now leads the congregation. Rabbi Sarah Fort has served our community since 2017. Rabbi Steven Morgen, who served with distinction from 1998 until his retirement in 2025, is honored as Rabbi Emeritus. In 2025, we welcomed Rabbi David Mendelson as Assistant Rabbi. On the cantorial side, Cantor George Wagner served the Congregation for over 35 years, followed by Hazzan David Propis for 18 years. Hazzan Meir Finkelstein arrived in 2013 and Senior Cantor Rachel Goldman - the fourth cantor in Beth Yeshurun's history - joined the clergy team in 2022.

In March of 2026, we celebrated our 80th anniversary and created a video celebrating our history. This video gets to the heart, values and community of our rabbis and synagogue.

https://youtu.be/e3omu3ggP7I?si=sB7Gi2n3L85mUeS4