Beth Shalom was founded in 1995, following a period starting in 1992 during which a group of liberal Jews gathered around Susan and Georg Stein for religious services and instruction. In its founding year, the congregation joined the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) and, alongside figures such as Rabbis Walter Jacob and Walter Homolka, played a role in building progressive Judaism in the German-speaking region.
Over the following years, the congregation’s core structures were established: religious education, Bar and Bat Mitzvah preparation, a *Chevra Kadisha* (burial society), a dedicated Jewish burial section, and regular rabbinic leadership—provided by, among others, Moshe Zemer, Edward van Voolen, Walter Rothschild, and, since 2006, Rabbi Dr. Tom Kučera. From 2014 to 2024, Cantor Nikola David (of blessed memory, 1969–2024) also played a defining role in the congregation’s musical and liturgical life.
With the acquisition of its own premises (2003), the possession of several Torah scrolls, a synagogue design by Daniel Libeskind, and the move to the Mittersendling district (2011), Beth Shalom established itself as a cornerstone of liberal Judaism in Munich.
Between 1995 and August 2026, 105 children (53 boys and 52 girls) were born to the Beth Shalom community, and 73 girls and boys were called to the Torah for the first time as Bat or Bar Mitzvah. Beth Shalom has laid 31 of its members to rest.