Beth Sholom Congregation is located in Westmont Borough at 700 Indiana Street. It is situated on a large plot of land, which runs back from the intersection of Millcreek Road and Menoher Highway, State Route 271 (also known locally as Easy Grade Highway) and stops where Indiana Street intersects with Geneva Street. The office is open Monday through Friday 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. (except for Jewish and national holidays).

Visitors are always welcome.

Tours may be arranged by calling the office at 814-536-0647 or 814-536-6440.

A few Jews had arrived in Johnstown sometime before 1850, but the largest immigration began with an influx of Russian Jews fleeing pogroms in the 1880s. According to The Horse Died in Windber: The History of Johnstown's Jews of Pennsylvania (written by Rabbi Leonard Winograd), "In 1856, there were nine [Christian] churches, and almost a synagogue." One newspaper reference in 1854 placed the number of Jews in Johnstown in excess of "thirty." [Whether that meant thirty individuals or thirty families is far from clear.] Like almost all others in Johnstown at that time, Jews lived within the city limits, mostly in Cambria City.

The first officially chartered Jewish congregation was Rodef Sholom Congregation chartered (without a synagogue building) in 1889 with 30 families as members. Beth Zion Congregation was chartered (also without a synagogue building) was a Reform congregation by approximately 50 families in 1920. Congregation Ahavath Achim, an Orthodox congregation was also chartered in 1920 by 40 families who had been members of Rodef Sholom.

There was no synagogue in Johnstown to serve the Jewish community until 1905. Regular religious services were held, and Hebrew was taught, in Jewish homes. Rabbi Winograd wrote that "until 1884, with the exception of services in the homes, there was no definite effort to create (regular) religious services." High Holiday services (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) were different. The Orthodox congregation (Rodef Sholom) typically held High Holiday services in the Ellis Building at the corner of Main and Market Streets, and later at the G.A.R. Building at the corner of Locust Street and Park Place. High Holiday services for the Reform congregation (Beth Zion) were usually held in the Cohen Building at 548 Main Street. The large scaled immigration of Orthodox Jews from Eastern Europe after 1884 resulted in increased motivation for the sort of services available only from a synagogue.

In 1906, the first Jewish services were held in a Johnstown synagogue at Rodef Sholom Synagogue. Between 1905 and 1951, five synagogues were built to serve the Johnstown Jewish community during various stages of its history. The first three were built in different sections of Johnstown proper. The last two were built in suburban Westmont Borough.

The one synagogue functioning now is Beth Sholom Congregation. The synagogue is architecturally interesting. A visit to the building is worthwhile for it contains all the historical and religious materials related to Johnstown's Jewish history, culture, and worship. The congregation maintains an excellent series of archival displays in the building year-round.