Spiritual Leader
Rabbi Gilah Langner came to Kol Ami in 2016 after working in a variety of settings since her ordination as a rabbi in 2003. She is passionate about Jewish texts and learning, about bringing Jewish values to bear on social issues, and about empowering folks to find their spiritual core in Judaism. Rabbi Gilah served the congregation Shirat Hanefesh in Chevy Chase, MD, was principal of Shoreshim Hebrew School and the Kehila Chadasha Hebrew School, led Jewish meditation sessions at the Jewish Mindfulness Center of Washington at Adas Israel, spent eight years as a visiting chaplain both at Georgetown University Hospital and at senior residences, taught as an adjunct professor at The George Washington University and at Catholic University of America, and co-directed the Washington Jewish Healing Network. She has been teaching adult education classes and workshops for over thirty years in the Washington area. Rabbi Gilah is the founding publisher and co-editor of the journal Kerem: Creative Explorations in Judaism and has published numerous prayers and articles. |
Rabbi Bruce D. Aft
Rabbi Bruce D. Aft was the spiritual leader at Adat Reyim in Springfield, VA from 1991 until 2020. He grew up in the Chicago suburbs and developed an early love for Judaism — and the Chicago White Sox. He played on the University of Illinois varsity reserve team for a few years, and then turned his attention to the rabbinate and social work, receiving an MSW from Temple University, ordination from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, and eventually an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree.
In addition to teaching at Kol Ami, Rabbi Aft is a visiting scholar at George Mason University in the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. He is an adjunct professor in religion and the Honors College at GMU. He also works with Jewish students at GMU and lectures for the Learning and Retirement Institute at GMU. He is past president of the community board for Operation Understanding DC. He also serves as a visiting lecturer at Greenspring Village and a Chaplain for the Jewish Social Service Agency. He is currently the President of the Hillel Community Board at GMU.
Rabbi Aft also continues to serve small congregations in the South through the Institute for Southern Jewish Life. He blogs at https://rabbibruceaft.blogspot.com. In retirement, Rabbi Bruce and Sue enjoy visiting their four children and eight grandchildren.
Rabbi Julie K. Gordon
Rabbi Julie K. Gordon is passionate about welcoming people into active Jewish life and building community. She is devoted to serving God and our people, teaching Torah to adults and students, leading services, and guiding people to create meaningful life cycle celebrations.
She earned a Master of Arts in Hebrew Literature and was ordained a rabbi at HUC-JIR, NYC in 1984. She served as the rabbi of Conservative synagogues in Brooklyn, NY and St. Paul, MN, for 17 years. She is a creative and innovative Jewish educator who served as the Spiritual Life Director at the Minneapolis Jewish Day School and Director of the Talmud Torah of St. Paul Afternoon and Hebrew High School. In 2010-2012, Rabbi Julie earned a Master of Jewish Education from Hebrew College, Boston, MA, and a Certificate of Advanced Jewish Studies from the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, Jerusalem, Israel.
She directed the Torah School at Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation in Bethesda, MD. She served as the Rabbi Educator at Hill Havurah in Washington, DC. There she created their Yavneh education program on Zoom two weeks after the beginning of the pandemic. She retired from full-time work in 2021.She is the proud ema of two adult children, Shoshana and Ari, and blessed that they live in Washington, DC.
Rabbi Leila Gal Berner
Rabbi Leila Gal Berner was Kol Ami’s founding rabbi and is now Rabbi Emerita. She helped birth us, midwifed us and stood by us as we grew from an idea into a congregation. Rabbi Leila Gal Berner was ordained at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and received private ordination from Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi z”l. She received a doctorate in medieval Jewish History from UCLA and her Bachelor’s Degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where she lived for ten years.
She is a citizen of both Israel and the United States. Rabbi Leila has taught at some of our country’s leading universities and colleges: Reed and Swarthmore colleges, Emory, George Washington and American universities. At American University, she served for over a decade as Scholar-in-Residence in the Department of Philosophy and Religion. Rabbi Leila also serves as Dean of Students of the Aleph (Alliance for Jewish Renewal) Ordination Program where she teaches rabbinical and cantorial students how to passionately, creatively and lovingly lead the Jewish people into the future.
Rabbi Leila has pioneered a new approach to integrating Torah’s wisdom through “Contemplative Torah,” which she has incorporated into a book entitled, Listening with the Ears of the Heart: A Contemplative Approach to the Book of Genesis. Rabbi Leila lives in Maryland with her wife, Franna Ruddell.
In Memoriam
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