Newsletters

Worship Event
of the Week

Study, Service
and Seudah
This Saturday, January 20, we get together at the home of Fay and Rabbi Doug to make Shabbos. Study begins at 9:30 a.m., followed by Shabbat worship at 10:30 a.m. and then a Seudah, a festive Shabbat brunch. For in-person attendance, an RSVP is needed to rabbidoug@kolamikc.org. For the Zoom option, click here.

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"True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice."
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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Yahrzeits
This Week

January 17
Milton Karp – grandfather of Ellen Karp

January 19
Irene Holdermiller – mother of Sandra Snitz

January 22
Joseph Horine – father of Michael Horine

January 23
Eileen Katz – mother of Allan Katz

We Wish
Mi Shebeirach
A complete healing of mind, body and spirit to:

Robert Clinton
Kenneth Dantzler
Bill Drummond
Rev. Lloyd Fields
Dana A. Fuller
Amanda Goldstein
Harriet Greenwald
Michelle Hills
Karla Jacobs 
Katie Nottingham
Dr. Carol Pohl
Harolyn Richberg
Michah ben Sarah
Edi Shifrin
Rachel Silk

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



After a couple of morning meetings Monday, with the temp at -2 degrees F, it’s cold out there. I am approaching the cold as mind over matter — that if I can get myself to think that it’s not such a big deal, then it won’t be a big deal.  

Part of this thought process is represented in Rabbi Jill Hammer’s The Jewish Book of Days, which we're reading on a regular basis during the weekday-morning service. In the ... Click here to read the rest of Rabbi Doug's blog post.

This Week's Torah Portion
Parashat Bo (Shemot/Exodus 10:1-13:16)



Included in the Torah portion is how the Israelites took gold and silver from the Egyptians upon their exodus from Egypt. Commentators give differing reasons: restoring Jewish pride; a means for rehabilitation, much in the same way that Germany paid Israel $1.5 billion after the Holocaust. One other somewhat similar idea is to think of it in terms of reparations. This perspective would track with present discussions regarding reparations to the Black community for the economic benefit provided to the country on the backs of slave labor.

Kol Ami News

'Radical Inclusion' Is a Big Part of Julia Patterson's New Kol Ami Position 



As Kol Ami's new director of community engagement, Julia Patterson will oversee Kol Ami’s community-engagement program, interacting with unaffiliated and diverse groups of Jews — and others interested in Judaism — to make meaningful connections. 
 
Julia will develop partnerships with organizations and businesses to create innovative community programming (affinity groups, social-justice actions) with “radical inclusion” as the preeminent focus. Radical inclusion is Kol Ami's belief in greatly broadening the idea of what a Jewish community is and who can be part of it. This includes people who have felt marginalized or not really welcome at other synagogues.  
 
Julia has more than a decade of experience in event planning, particularly programming and fundraising for Special Olympics Missouri and Harvesters–the Community Food Network. Since August 2022, she has run her own event-planning company, Common Ground Events. A lifelong Missourian (other than a few years in San Francisco), Julia grew up in Columbia, Missouri, and studied communication with an emphasis in journalism at Truman State University, in Kirksville, Missouri. 
 
Julia lives with her husband, Michael, and their three children, 4-year-old Ephraim and 4-month-old twins Esme and Ari. In her spare time, she loves to cook, camp, craft and gather with people. She is a proud member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, a philanthropic organization of women leaders in food and hospitality industries. 
 
Julia believes that in addition to basic needs, all people deserve a sense of belonging, which is why she is drawn to the position of director of community engagement.