Holidays

 

Kol Ami holds family-friendly holiday celebrations throughout the year that are suitable for everyone, age 0 to 99!  Join Rabbi Gilah and lay leaders as we journey each year through the rich calendar of Jewish holidays:

High Holy Days:  Our inspiring services are usually led by Rabbi Gilah and lay leaders in the Sanctuary of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington.  Details are available on our High Holy Day page by the beginning of August.

Sukkot: Each year Kol Ami builds a Sukkah and holds a family-friendly Sukkot program and potluck dinner in the backyard of a nearby congregant.

Simchat Torah: We celebrate reading the end of the Torah and then immediately begin again, in a cycle that began millennia ago and that continues today. We dance, we sing, we rejoice! Then we join together for a potluck meal.

Chanukah: Join us for an old-fashioned Chanukah party! We light Chanukah menorahs and sing songs. We eat latkes and other veggie potluck food.  Dreidel tables and other crafts are on hand, and Rabbi Gilah usually leads a program, hosts a quiz show, or directs a Chanukah play.  Community members bring their own Chanukah menorahs and candles to add to the light.

Tu B’Shevat:  This is the Jewish community’s lesser known seder for trees and nature, but at Kol Ami it’s every bit as festive.  Celebrate the deep roots and earth-based wisdom of our tradition, sampling fruits from each of the Kabbalistic four worlds.

Purim: Each year Kol Ami plans a delightful Purim carnival, featuring games and challenges of all kinds. Teens (and adults) are invited to help staff the booths. Then we gather round for a Purim shpiel with Megillah excerpts. We celebrate Esther’s courage, her loyalty, and her willingness to stand up and take action. And of course we partake of hamantaschen and other light refreshments. Costumes are encouraged! Silliness is expected!

Passover:   Join our popular second night Community Seder — open to the extended community.

There are still more holiday commemorations on the calendar — bonfires on Lag B’Omer, Shavuot study sessions into the night, Lamentations on Tisha B’Av.  We invite you to join our communal gatherings and live the Jewish calendar with us.