This week last year we moved to Kirkland.
A year ago we packed up our little congregation in Woodinville and around 40 of us began a 14 mile trek to our new home with Northlake Unitarian Universalist community. We rolled our ark onto the bima. We lugged in our prayerbooks, our Jewish ritual objects, our desks and computer. We set ourselves up anew and opened our doors to a new population. Our intention in moving: sustainability and viability for generations to come!
Within our first few months in Kirkland our small community grew by 1/3. We maxed out our seating capacity at the High Holidays. We began to integrate ourselves within the Kirkland interfaith community and hosting interfaith events related to bringing people together around social justice issues. We met our neighbors, built new relationships and changed some our structures to becoming increasingly welcoming (you do not need to be a member to attend our youth programs, classes). We increased our cultural programming and mid-week learning opportunities. We committed to being open, having Shabbat evening and morning service and study, every week.
Thriving. We moved so we could thrive and not just survive. And we are thriving.
Sometimes a bold move. A radical shift. A transformative trek is exactly what you need to go from surviving to thriving.
Thank you to everyone who made this move possible. Thank you to everyone who saw a brighter future for Kol Ami and was willing to invest in taking this risk.
Kol Ami is deepening its roots on the Eastside and positioning ourselves as being a center for Jewish life for generations to come. Our world, our nation, might be in crisis. But our congregation, our Jewish community, is rooted and strong. We are a tree of life. Hold onto Kol Ami. It is going to be here for the long haul. Always creating pathways towards peace and health. May it always be a source of happiness and meaning in your life!
