Today is March 19, 2024 /

Main Office: 215-635-3110

Find Us: 8231 Old York Rd., Elkins Park, PA (part of Beth Sholom campus)

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Welcome

Welcome to Congregation Kol Ami. Our name, which means “Voice of My People,” speaks to our goal of truly being here for each other. We are a synagogue of almost 150 member families affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism, the voice of creative Judaism that provides contemporary meaning to traditional Jewish values and teachings.

As you navigate these pages, you will read about the many ways that our children, youth and adults are involved in our synagogue.

From the moment a child enters our community through our Religious School, we focus upon building positive Jewish experiences, making our clergy and the Torah accessible, and forging connections. We boast one of the highest retention rates of post–B’nai Mitzvah students in Greater Philadelphia. Here are some of the reasons why:

  • Our youngest children join us at our “Touch Torah” services, where the Torah scroll is rolled open upon their legs and we sit and read it with them.
  • All B’nai Mitzvah students meet weekly during the eight months prior to their service to bring meaning to their Torah portion.
  • Our Religious School uses camp-like games to make Jewish learning fun.

Our Worship Enhancement Committee constantly seeks ways to make worship experiences even more meaningful and participatory. Our Social Action Committee creates a myriad of opportunities for us to repair the world, and our Religious School Committee is a think tank for new ideas that find expression in classes and community engagement for our children and young adults.

We are particularly sensitive to the needs of our interfaith families, who make up close to 20 percent of our membership. Our Interfaith Relationship Dialogue offers opportunities for these members to meet with me to talk about the challenges of raising a Jewish child in an interfaith home and about how core Jewish values can be expressed with sensitivity for interfaith nuclear and extended families.

We believe what we have built is unique. We have chosen to become an intimate community whose small size allows us to fully engage with each other and provides our members with access to me that would not be as feasible at a larger congregation.

We welcome you to interact with us and experience Congregation Kol Ami for yourself.