By Philip Rucker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, October 14, 2007

A Charles County Jewish congregation has bought a site in St. Charles to build the county's first synagogue.

For 16 years, Congregation Sha'are Shalom has offered services at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Waldorf. But the new synagogue, to be built on Henry Ford Circle, will help attract members and establish a permanent home in Charles, congregation treasurer Lee Weinberger said.

"With the construction of the synagogue, we will be able to expand our educational and social activities and be able to offer all our activities and services at one location," Weinberger said.

The congregation searched for a location for about five years. About 37 families attend services offered at St. Paul's, but Weinberger expects that number to grow as the new synagogue attracts families that worship in neighboring counties or that don't attend services because of the lack of a local synagogue.

Building the synagogue will be a key step in "establishing a thriving Jewish community in Charles County," Weinberger said.

American Communities Properties Trust president and chief operating officer Edwin L. Kelly said he welcomes Congregation Sha'are Shalom to St. Charles, a planned community in the Waldorf area.

"Since its inception, our planned community has welcomed people of all cultures and faiths," Kelly said. "In fact, we have benefited from the rich contributions people from all walks of life have made to St. Charles."

"In that tradition," Kelly said, "Congregation Sha'are Shalom will be a welcome addition to communities of St. Charles."