July 4, Year 250: Redeemed Last night, nearly 100 neighbors from many different faith traditions gathered at Kol Ami for an epic interfaith potluck and Shabbat service. There was even a Jell-O salad—a true sign of a synagogue interfaith gathering. There was singing and laughter. Tables overflowing with food. Prayer. Learning. And, perhaps most beautiful of all, I watched people exchange phone numbers. Neighbors were becoming friends. That is how peace begins. The goodness of

Midweek Torah Study with Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg Wednesdays • Noon–1:00 PM “Rabbi Shimon ben Halafta said: The Holy One, blessed be God, found no vessel capable of holding blessing for Israel except peace.” — Mishnah Uktzin 3:12 The Mishnah, the foundational collection of Jewish law and wisdom compiled nearly two thousand years ago, concludes in a remarkable place. After six orders, sixty-three tractates, and thousands of teachings about ritual, ethics, justice, purity, and com

We live in a world that moves very fast. Our calendars are full. Our phones never stop buzzing. The news never sleeps. Work follows us home. Even our moments of rest can feel hurried. Judaism offers another way. Every week, our tradition invites us to do something remarkably countercultural: Stop. Put down our work. Step away from our screens. Gather around a table. Share a meal. Sing. Laugh. Rest. Connect. Long before anyone spoke about stress reduction, burnout, mental heal

A special end of the year message from the rabbi

In honor of Yom Ha’Atzmaut Do not be afraid. Walk through fear into an expansive, unfolding future. There is a line we carry as Jews, whether we name it or not. From The Silver Platter (Alterman): “And the land will be quiet… The youth will step forward and say: We are the silver platter on which the Jewish state was given.” A people does not come into being without fear. A state is not born without trembling hands. Jerusalem, 1975. Jerusalem is where I learned about fear.

Assistant Director of Education (Part-Time) Congregation Kol Ami: A Center for Jewish Life (Kirkland, WA) Kol Ami is seeking a warm, organized, and relational educator to serve as our Assistant Director of Education . This part-time role supports our vibrant youth and family education programs and helps create joyful, inclusive Jewish learning experiences. Responsibilities include: Onsite leadership for 28 Saturday morning programs (8:00 AM–12:00 PM) Supporting 2 Friday night

Train Tunnel Standing at the sealed passage between Israel and Lebanon If I could open up the tunnel between Israel and Lebanon at Rosh HaNikra, I would hack away at it with my nails, my teeth, with everything I have. I have stood and looked at that sealed tunnel at Rosh HaNikra many times in my life. Remembering that, even if for a short time, a train ran from the beautiful coastal city of Haifa up the stunning Mediterranean coastline to Beirut. Beirut. I have heard it is, o

Never Again—for Us or for Anyone? Yom HaShoah 5786 | Kol Ami: A Center for Jewish Life In memory of the six million Jews and all those who were killed during the Shoah (catastrophe), and in honor of those who stood up for us when we could not stand up for ourselves. “Never again”—just for us? Or “never again”—for anyone? Where are we this year? Where are you? We, as human beings, move constantly between the particular and the universal. Between caring for our own and caring f

Last night, as we gathered under the full moon of freedom, our hearts were not only filled with memory, but with fear, urgency, and deep love for our people. We know this night. We have lived this night before. We know the feeling of our ancestors, running in the dark, stepping into the unknown, carrying what they could, trusting in something not yet visible. Tonight, many of our people in Israel are again under threat, sheltering, listening, waiting. The ancient story is no

This August, something beautiful is happening just up the road from us. From August 13–16, 2026, in nearby Duvall, a new gathering is emerging: CHAVAYA — A Jewish Transformational Festival. It is a weekend of music, dance, learning, Shabbat, and connection. A space to step outside of our daily rhythms and enter into something more spacious, more embodied, more alive. And I am honored to share that I will be there as one of the workshop leaders. What is Chavaya? Chavaya means

Amaze. Amaze. Amaze.

There was a time when Jewish life revolved around sacrifice. Animals brought to an altar. Smoke rising. Blood marking the line between the everyday and the holy. The book of Leviticus sits in that world. A world where closeness to God meant offering something up. Something costly. Something alive. And then it stopped. With the destruction of the Second Temple, sacrifice as the center of Jewish life ended. Not slowly. It just stopped. The altar went quiet. So the question is n

Across Jewish history, sacred spaces have been targets. The places where Jews gather to pray, learn, sing, celebrate, and mourn have again and again drawn the attention of those who wish Jewish life would disappear. The Temple in Jerusalem. The synagogue down the street. The study hall. The holiday table. The preschool hallway. It is an old story. Painfully old. And yet the deeper story is not the violence. The deeper story is that we are still here. Because Jewish history is

This Friday night Kol Ami will join Jewish communities across the country in observing HIAS Refugee Shabbat, a Shabbat dedicated to remembering our own refugee history and standing with refugees today. The work of HIAS began more than a century ago when Jewish communities organized to help Jews fleeing pogroms in Eastern Europe. Over time that work expanded. Today HIAS helps refugees of many backgrounds rebuild their lives with safety, dignity, and hope. As HIAS president Mar

This week I was in Washington, DC. I spent several days at the J Street national convention. More than a thousand Jews gathered with Israelis, Palestinians, scholars, activists, rabbis, and community leaders to wrestle with the future of Israel and the region. Then I went to Capitol Hill to lobby members of Congress against expanding the war with Iran. Our Washington State J Street delegation met with both of our senators, Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell. Most of us in the ro

Friends, Please please register for our Purim fundraiser and bring a friend or two. I am asking with my whole heart. We need to raise $26,000 before the end of this fiscal year to keep Kol Ami strong and steady, and we are doing it the Jewish way, through community, generosity, laughter, and showing up for one another. I know. People are tired. The world feels heavy. Many of us are carrying more than we can name. That is exactly why we are doing this. Because we need a good t

Justice, Justice you shall pursue. DT 16:20 Dear Kol Ami Community, I am a second-generation rabbi committed to nonviolent protest and activism. Like my father before me, we are students of Dr. King who taught non-violent social change. That is my path. This Friday (1/30) night at 6pm, we will join together at Kol Ami to make WHISTLE KITS so we are ready to act and alert. To keep our neighbors safe. Shabbat veggie soup and bread will be served. Registration required. Look in

(As I write this week are on lockdown in a church. ICE abducted someone a few blocks away. Protesters are hurt. I am safe. And I am unafraid.) Primary learning: No one is coming to save us. No one is going to tell us what to do. There is no one in charge of the resistance. Each person must act according to their own conscience and their own abilities. There is no cavalry coming. So we must prepare — morally, communally, practically. It is –16 degrees outside today in Minneapo

Why I am going to Minneapolis

From Rabbi Kinberg