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The House of Love and Prayer: A Radical Jewish Experiment in San Francisco

Shlomo singing

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Shlomo Carlebach's Role

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach was without question the spiritual leader of the House of Love and Prayer community, the central rabbinic authority that guided its vision. The House was his idea, he helped turn it into a reality, and it was his influence along with the constant promise of his presence that led to its growth and popularity. Further, those that inhabited and visited the House took Shlomo’s vision quite seriously. Shlomo wanted the House to be a place where “When you come someone loves you. When you leave someone misses you.” This was one of the guiding principles of the House and was one of the many ideas Carlebach put forth that inspired the quotidian actions of those present at the House.
That said, Shlomo was not an integral part of everyday life at the House of Love and Prayer because he was absent most of the time. Since Shlomo was in such a high demand across the country, and at times even internationally, he was only sporadically present at the House, coming approximately once every four to six weeks to lead the ever-popular Shabbat celebrations. (On occasion, he came to teach a week-long class at the House.)

When he was away from the House, traveling the world, he regularly handed out his business cards, inviting every Jew he encountered to come and visit the House. He famously told people, “San Francisco is the city of tomorrow. Jerusalem is the city of the day after tomorrow.” Largely due to Shlomo’s proselytizing efforts, approximately 150-200 people visited the House every Shabbat. On the weeks when Shlomo was present, the numbers easily were 300-400 or more.
Photo Gallery This photo gallery provides a small sampling of the many photographs of the House of Love and Prayer. As a visual archive, this gallery is intended to document and preserve the memory of this important element of San Francisco’s Jewish history.

If you have photographs or other archival material from the House of Love and Prayer that you would like to include in this exhibition, please email info@mappingjewishsf.org.