News from Kol Ami

Congratulations! You are guilty of Audacious Hospitality!

No, I haven't gone off the deep end. I can actually explain the cryptic (audacious?) comment above.

As a member of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), Kol Ami is a proponent of inclusiveness, of welcoming people into our community regardless of gender, ability, financial status or marital status. The URJ even has a Vice President of Audacious Hospitality, with the definition of audacious being bold, fearless or daring. That person's job is to encourage congregations to look at ways in which they can be welcoming to people that may have been overlooked in the past.

At Kol Ami we have been, and continue to be, active in audacious hospitality. We stream our Shabbat services and Torah Study for people who are unable to be here in person. We provide signing for Deaf members and we have a wheelchair accessible entrance. We welcome LGBTQ members and couples and we don't turn away members for inability to pay.

One area where Kol Ami is at the forefront of hospitality is with interfaith families. We have many couples and families with one non-Jewish parent, and we believe they feel as welcome as those who are Jewish. But we realize that there is more work to be done. As the Rabbi has mentioned, he plans to be the first Toronto Reform Rabbi to perform a Jewish wedding for an interfaith couple. And as you will see elsewhere in the Voice, we are about to start a 3-part series on interfaith issues vis a vis community engagement, ritual and governance.

Join us to share your comments and opinions and help Kol Ami continue to be a leader in Audacious Hospitality.

Elliot