Rabbi's Week in Review Blog

Coming back from time away, we and our Kol Ami family hit the ground running. Midweek, a rally on behalf of the rights of tenants in Kansas City (really an ongoing fight against homelessness). Friday, we held our annual Shabbat Hanukkah service. Saturday morning, we celebrated the bat mitzvah of Matylda Breinin.

A common thread I observed in these three events is how we are all thirsting for community. I often mention how rejuvenated I feel after attending these rallies to advocate for one issue or another. I am most grateful to be in these spaces with the many wonderful people who regularly show up. These are heroes of mine who share values of compassion and empathy, and are seeking a more just world. These are friends with whom I share community.

I always look forward to our annual Shabbat Hanukkah celebration. It is not a raucous event.  Rather, it is the soft glow emanating from everyone’s Hanukkah menorah as we light candles together. Again, what stood out is seeing congregants I have not seen in a while, new people who are seeking out community, and a shared need for the relationships formed in community.

Bat/bar mitzvahs are always special at Kol Ami. Because our community is smaller and more tightknit, we connect in ways that add greater shared meaning to the joys (and sorrows) in our lives. Matylda Breinin was an inspiration for us last Shabbat. It was not just how well she carried out the tasks of chanting Torah, reading her Haftarah and teaching the congregation through her D’var Torah, but also how her spirit shined through in her presence before the congregation.

As a Breinin, she carries with her a rich and valued tradition of a stalwart family within our Kol Ami family. Yet, as a bat mitzvah, she brings her own voice and perspective into our community.  

Through thick and thin, let us always value and hold on to our sense of community. To be there for each other and cherish the relationships that have been given to us by being a part of the Kol Ami family.