Social Justice
Event
High Holiday
Sweatshirt Drive
Kol Ami is collecting sweatshirts to support our primary social-justice partner, Migrant Farmworkers Assistance Fund. The sweatshirts will benefit the farmworkers during the cooler weather as they do their fall apple picking.
Please bring gently used or new sweatshirts to the lobby of All Souls through Yom Kippur, in any of the these sizes: medium, large, X-large. Please fold the sweatshirts and place individually in a paper or Ziploc bag, and mark the size on the outside of the bag.
If you have questions or wish to arrange an alternate drop-off time, please contact Brad Ordo at kehilahvp@ kolamikc.org.
This Week's
Torah Portion
A Common Denominator
As we approach Yom Kippur, we find different parts of our Written Torah from which to draw. Traditionally, we read from the Book of Vayikra/Leviticus and the Mitzvot/
Commandments regarding interpersonal relationships. In our Machzor, we find readings from both Devarim/Deuteronomy and Bereishit/Genesis.
The common denominator in all of these readings is that in doing what is right and just, we start on a most personal level with our closest relationships. In Devarim/Deuteronomy, we read of our covenant with G-d, and that each of us stands equally before G-d and in G-d’s eyes.
In Bereishit/Genesis, we read the narrative on Cain and Abel; the struggles that confront all of our families go back to the very first family. This suggests that the themes embedded in these Yamim Noraim, these Days of Awe, are not limited to us as Jews but rather are universal in scope — that for all of us as flawed human beings, we do not dwell on our imperfection. Instead, we call it for what it is and always understand the value in striving to do better.
We Wish Mi Shebeirach
A complete healing of mind, body and spirit:
Robert Clinton
Kenneth Dantzler
Alan Dietchman
Renée Dietchman
Megan Garrison
Harriet Greenwald
Carrie Hollister
Karla Jacobs
Yale Krugman
Steve Sackin
Melvin Michael Slater
If you would like a name to continue to be listed or if you have a
new name to include, please send an email to healing@kolamikc.org. |
Rabbi's Week in Review
As we approach Yom Kippur 5785, I wish everyone a meaningful day of teshuvah, of repentance, with an eye on how we can make the coming year better than the last and support one another in community. For those fasting, may your fast be one of meaning without risking harm to your health.
This Week's Worship Events
Yom Kippur Schedule for
Congregation Kol Ami
Guest cantor Patrick Buckley joins music director Karen Engebretson and the Kol Ami musicians. Attendance is free; donations are appreciated.
7:30 p.m. Friday, October 11 — Erev Yom Kippur (Kol Nidre) at All Souls, with cellist Matt Beckmann
10:30 a.m. Saturday, October 12 — Yom Kippur morning service at All Souls, with trumpeter Stan Kessler
The Yom Kippur morning service is followed by: afternoon study, 1-2 p.m. — Rabbi Doug discusses the prayer book, liturgy and prayer, in not only a how-to but also a dive into why we pray what we pray; meditation service, 2:15-3:15 p.m. — led by Lara Steinel and Julia Billquist; Mincha, Yizkor and Neilah services, 3:30 p.m.; and break the fast, at approximately 5:45 p.m. — light refreshments served in the lobby.
Two Notes About Parking: (1) October 11 and 12, the dates of our Yom Kippur services, the parking-lot spaces in the row adjacent to Simpson House will be reserved for weddings at the house. Cones will indicate that spaces are set aside for Simpson House use only. Additional parking should be available on the street; (2) KC Streetcar Constructors has closed a portion of 45th Street east of Main for a few weeks. Use Warwick Boulevard and/or 44th Street.
Upcoming Kol Ami Events
MFAF Service Night in Lexington
Kol Ami returns to Lexington, Mo., Monday, October 21, from 4:30 till about 7 p.m., to help pack and organize meal kits for migrant farmworkers, and also provide to-go desserts (cookies, cookie bars). We will carpool from the All Souls parking lot, with a departure no later than 3:30 p.m. If you can’t make it to Lexington but would like to contribute, we also need bakers.
Interested in volunteering or have questions? Email Brad Ordo at kehilahvp@kolamikc.org.
Community Happy Hour
We meet up for a community happy hour at Third Street Social (5031 Main, in Kansas City), Tuesday, October 15, from 4 to 6 p.m.
Weekly Feature
Why Join a Synagogue?
By Ellen Karp
There is much discussion these days about how and why synagogue membership is not growing. As membership chair for Kol Ami, I am all for reversing the trend. Here’s why.
• We stood at Mount Sinai to receive Torah not as individuals but as a people. Judaism is a communal religion. Current events remind us of this daily.
• Synagogues are great places to connect with other Jews. You can meet people of all ages and backgrounds, and make friends who share your values and interests.
• Learning to be Jewish is a lifelong endeavor, whether Jewish by birth or by choice. It’s easier and more enjoyably done within community.
• If you are a non-Jewish companion/partner/spouse, a welcoming synagogue makes you an instant insider and not an outsider.
• Synagogues are ways to connect with and support social-justice causes.
• Life and tsuris happen. A synagogue community is there for you in those moments that are the toughest.
• Life and simchas happen. A synagogue community is there for you in those moments when the joy just has to be shared.
• Synagogues are voluntary communities. A synagogue needs you to contribute your best unique self to the life of your congregation. And the satisfaction of being needed is the best gift.
• DIY religion is a pale substitute for the beauty and richness of Jewish tradition, ritual and worship. Synagogues nurture, evolve and grow that tradition and pass it along.
For those of you who are Jewish and have been riding alongside us here at Kol Ami for a while, we hope you seriously consider officially making the synagogue your Jewish 'home base" and joining the community as a full-fledged member. Feel free to reach out to me at membership@kolamikc.org for details. Our Kol Ami family looks forward to welcoming you and yours.
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