Congregation Kol Ami is a Reform congregation with members from Northeastern King and Southern Snohomish Counties. Led by Rabbi Mark Glickman, Kol Ami is a warm, embracing and dynamic community in which the Jewish ideals of worship, study and social action are fostered. The entire Kol Ami family creates an atmosphere of openness and friendship, in which everyone is welcome. At Kol Ami, you will find diverse backgrounds and diverse opinions. Congregants often join to discover, rediscover, or simply affirm their Judaism, and to plant or transplant Jewish roots. Interfaith families and Jews by choice find Kol Ami a welcoming and nurturing environment.
Shabbat services take place most Friday evenings at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday morning Torah services are typically held concurrently with B’nai Mitzvah celebrations. Services are often participatory and filled with stirring song, heartfelt prayer, astute commentary, and true friendship. Members provide a choir, instrumental accompaniment, and often share personal meditations from the bimah (pulpit).
Committed to spiritual and intellectual wholeness, CKA provides educational opportunities for all. The outstanding religious school offers students in grades K-7 study in all aspects of Judaism, such as Hebrew, Torah, ethics, prayer, holidays, Israel and Jewish history. Parents are encouraged to be involved in classrooms, attend prayer services and guest lectures. Creative programming, on a variety of different topics, provides opportunities for parents and students to explore holidays and Jewish thought throughout the ages. CKA offers tutorial support for B’nai Mitzvah students under the guidance of Rabbi Glickman. Post-B’nai Mitzvah students often volunteer as teaching assistants and take an active part in programs offered by their National Federation of Temple Youth chapter, KATY, one of their most active and successful programs.
Adult education programs are also an enriching feature of CKA. Rabbi Glickman and several lay leaders introduce challenging, lively, and sometimes controversial topics from Hebrew Scriptures to current events applying the principles of and knowledge from a Jewish and ethical perspective.
The Kol Ami family offers opportunities for members to participate in many committees focused on the needs of the congregation. the community, and beyond. They include social action, ritual, finance, membership, communications, education, and outreach. Two programs developed over the past few years that have successfully added to their embracing and active community have been the Sisterhood and Brotherhood. Strong, enduring friendships often emerge from this mutual commitment to the enjoyment of one another’s company in a social setting, and working to improve CKA, themselves and the world.
For more information about Kol Ami and to view the schedule of events, visit their website or call the temple office.