On November 3, 1913, Judge William Newcorn called a meeting in his chambers for the purpose of  "discussing the organization of a Reform temple in Plainfield."

Ten days later the congregation of Temple Sholom was formally organized and incorporated. There were 22 charter members at that time.

The new congregation leased a small building on Grove Street in North Plainfield. The building is still in use housing the Community Baptist Church.

Our first service was held on Friday night, November 21, 1913 and conducted by guest Rabbi, Samuel Duhn. Temple Sholom’s first full-time Rabbi was Rabbi M. Schoenbrun, who established a Sunday school for members' children.

During the early 1920’s it was determined that the Grove Street building was too small and a decision was made to build a new Synagogue. Construction began at our present site, and the building was completed and dedicated on December 11, 1927.

A Temple milestone was reached on January 13, 1946 when a mortgage-burning ceremony was held to celebrate the final payment of a mortgage almost twenty years old.

The summer of 1947 saw the call to the pulpit of Rabbi Sidney E. Nathanson, who served our congregation until 1973.

In 1949, Temple Sholom joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations.

By 1957, the available Temple facilities had become too small for High Holy Day services. On October 15, 1957 the Board of Trustees decided to build a new sanctuary and social hall. The first Friday night service in the new (and present-day) sanctuary was held on March 24, 1961.

The 50th Anniversary celebration was scheduled for November 22, 1963 but was postponed because of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

By 1969, some 400 families were members of Temple Sholom.

Rabbi Sidney Nathanson, who grew the Temple from 100 families to more than 350 families, became ill in 1973 and requested that he be relieved of his duties. He died in 1975. After Rabbi Nathanson’s resignation, Rabbi Gerald Goldman, our previous spiritual leader, was called to the pulpit.

A major expansion and renovation of our Religious School Facilities was completed in October 1979.

During Rabbi Goldman’s tenure, a substantial adult education series was inaugurated. Rabbi Goldman was honored for this and other accomplishments upon his 10th anniversary with the Temple in November 1983.

1990 saw the first adult confirmation class, and in July, ten members of that class, led by Rabbi and Mrs. Goldman spent ten days in Prague and Budapest visiting scenes of Jewish interest.

In March 1993, the temple celebrated the 20th anniversary of Rabbi Goldman’s coming to Temple Sholom. Senator Frank Lautenberg was the speaker at a special Shabbat service.

In the spring of 1998, Rabbi Goldman retired after 25 years of service to Temple Sholom. He was succeeded temporarily by Rabbi Lawrence Coulton. As of July 1st, 1999, Rabbi Joel N. Abraham became the new spiritual leader of Temple Sholom. On October 7, 1999, Rabbi Abraham and his wife Michelle became parents for the first time with the birth of a baby girl, Avital Devorah.

On October 22, 2000, with the planning and direction of the Social Action Committee, Temple Sholom held its first Mitzvah Day. 160 Temple members participated in various activities in the community and in and around the Temple itself. Activities included making cards for people in the hospital, visiting a nursing home, making personal care kits for people at a women's shelter, collecting food for the poor, and cleaning up the Temple grounds. Norman Pianko retired as Religious School Director at the end of the 2000-2001 school year. He had been director for 24 years. A retirement dinner was given in his honor at the Martinsville Inn in Bridgewater in which 125 people attended. Michelle Shapiro Abraham. RJE, was selected as the new Religious School Director.

In May 2001, the Long Range Planning Committee recommended that “…a committee should be formed to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study regarding the costs and logistics of relocating, renovating our existing facility, or merging with another temple.” A report was submitted to the Board of Trustees in October, 2001. On Sunday November 18, 2001, the congregation met to review the recommendations and voted overwhelmingly to have the Board present a proposal for a move to a new location.

On May 20,2002, at the Annual Meeting of the Temple Congregation, resolutions were passed to authorize the sale of the building and to purchase new property in the Scotch Plains/Fanwood area.  To prepare for the move, the Religious School program moved to space at the Union Catholic High School in Scotch Plains.  At the last Annual Temple Meeting at the Temple's building in Plainfield on May 19, 2003, the Temple President, Susan Weiseman, announced that the Temple's building had been sold to IAM's Temple.  Two sites in Scotch Plains were under consideration for purchase. 

On Friday night, June 13, 2003, Temple Sholom celebrated its 90th Anniversary with a dinner and service. Rabbi Goldman came from his home in Massachusetts to be with the congregation for this important milestone in the Temple's history. On Wednesday evening, June 18th, the congregation celebrated the Brit Milah of Ezri Barak Abraham, the son of Michelle and Rabbi Abraham. This was the last major celebation at the building in Plainfield. The building was sold to the Rose of Sharon Church next door, which currently leases the site to a charter school.  The congregation welcomed Shira Nafshi as our student Cantor.

In July of 2003, the Fanwood Presbyterian Church graciously opened its doors to the congregation.  (A late favor returned - as one of the founding members of Temple Sholom had donated the land to build the Church.)  Offices were constructed in the Church's main building.  For religious worship, the Church's Dining Room was reimagined as the Temple Sholom Chapel.  A series of programs, including pulpit exchanges and a "Worship Together Weekend" helped strengthen the relationship between the two congregations.

In 2005, our student Cantor, Shira Nafshi was invested by the Hebrew Union College and moved on to serve Congregation B'nai Or in Morristown.  Darcie Naomi Sharlein joined us in August as our new student Cantor, until her investiture in 2008.  In 2007, the congregation purchased a five acre site in Scotch Plains upon which to build our new home.