News from Kol Ami

When I was growing up in Montreal (St-Laurent to be specific), we had four sets of cutlery and dishes; meat, dairy, Passover meat and Passover dairy. I was never sure which plates to use when we ordered pizza with pepperoni on it, so we usually ate that directly out of the box.

We were members of an Orthodox shul, although we often drove to services, and we never ate pork, unless it was disguised with a name such as “spare ribs”.

What I suppose I’m saying is that I grew up Reform, without knowing it. I was raised with a love for Judaism, its holidays and traditions, the land of Israel, the Hebrew language and the prayer liturgy. It didn’t matter that we weren’t kosher or shomer-Shabbat, we were proud to be Jewish and celebrated it in our own way.

That is part of the attraction to Reform Judaism in general, and Kol Ami in particular. The essential elements of Judaism are front and centre: we celebrate the holidays, in the sanctuary and in our schools, we make connections to Israel, we teach our children to read Hebrew and to pray and to be proud of being Jewish.

And at the same time, we are inclusive, non-judgmental and welcoming, regardless of how many sets of dishes you have, and which ones you use when eating pepperoni pizza.

So celebrate being part of your community by continuing to observe it in the way that is most meaningful to you, knowing that you will always be welcome at Kol Ami.

L’shalom,

Elliot