Worship
Worship at Kol Shalom is egalitarian and emphasizes connection, participation and the joy of Judaism.
We offer weekly Shabbat morning services and a monthly Musical Kabbalat Shabbat filled with music, song and spirituality. We also offer complete High Holy Day services.
Our celebrations of Jewish festivals—Purim, Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot, Simchat Torah, Hanukkah and more—as well as lifecycle events, bring us together again and again to connect joyfully with one another and express our commitment to living a Jewish life.
SHABBAT
Shabbat at Kol Shalom is filled with the richness and comfort of ritual, beautiful music, and connection with our traditions and each other. Services are led by Rabbi Darío, who also encourages the participation of Jewish men and women in our community to leyn (chant) Torah. That so many have performed the mitzvah of reading from the Torah scroll reflects the value our community places on personal and spiritual growth.
We welcome visitors to all of our services. Come celebrate with us!
Shabbat Morning Services: Saturdays at 10:15 a.m.
Musical Kabbalat Shabbat: One Friday a month at 5:30 p.m.
All services are offered virtually on our YouTube channel as well as streaming on Facebook. Sign up for our weekly newsletter for details and links.
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Learn Our Kabbalat Shabbat Melodies
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Shabbat Resources
High holy days
The Days of Awe observances at Kol Shalom are contemplative, meaningful and musical. Rabbi Darío, accompanied by Argentinian musicians joining live from Buenos Aires, leads the community in traditional prayers that inspire and invite personal reflection.
On Erev Rosh Hashanah, services are followed by a community dessert potluck. Rosh Hashanah morning services take place on both days of the holiday, and our community practices the custom of tashlich (the symbolic casting of sins into a body of water) on the afternoon of the first day at a nearby location.
For Yom Kippur, we come together for Kol Nidre, Shacharit (morning service), Minchah (afternoon service), Yizkor (memorial service), N’ilah (closing service), Havdalah and a community break-the-fast. Between the morning and afternoon service, we also offer a discussion group and gentle yoga session.
In addition, Kol Shalom offers morning services for children and their families on both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
As with all our services, High Holy Day observances at Kol Shalom are egalitarian.
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Sanctuary Guests: Reserve seats in the sanctuary. The requested donation is $250 a person or $500 for a family. You an send a check by mail or electronically on our website. Masks are required, and no one will be admitted at the door of the sanctuary without a reservation.
Zoom Guests: Reserve a spot on zoom. The suggested donation is $100 person or $500 for a family. You can send a check by mail or electronically on our website.
Congregation Kol Shalom celebrates many of the Jewish festivals throughout the year together. For Sukkot, a sukkah is constructed in our garden for a celebratory potluck. Simchat Torah includes dancing and singing. Our Hanukkah party features a latke cook-off, fun dreidel tables and craft activities.
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To celebrate Tu B’shevat, the New Year for the Trees, we have planted trees and flowers in our garden. The kids take over Purim with the Megillah reading, a shpeil, and a fun carnival. During Passover, we come together for a community seder. Shavuot sees a Tikkun Leil Shavuot, an evening of study, and a dairy potluck. Each Rosh Chodesh, women gather for spiritual development, renewal, healing and friendship.
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Please feel free to join us for all of our celebrations!
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Jewish Holiday Resources
About the Jewish holidays, their meanings, history, and rituals
Life Cycle
Events
brit
Milah
The Torah commands us to circumcise our newborn sons on the eighth day of their new lives. This powerful ceremony celebrates new life, and also brings our sons into Judaism’s sacred covenant.
bar/bat
Mitzvah
Becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah (son/daughter of the commandment) is about spiritual maturity, about becoming a fuller member of the Jewish community. At Kol Shalom, Bar/Bat Mitzvah students engage in religious studies, ongoing Hebrew instruction, and individual tutoring with Rabbi Darío. At the culmination of their preparation, the Bar/Bat Mitzvah leads the congregation in a regular Shabbat morning service and is called to read from the Torah. Read more.
Rabbi Darío can help you prepare for this joyous occasion by teaching bride and groom the meaning of the ceremony—from ketubah (marriage contract), to kiddushin (engagement), to huppah (marriage canopy), to nissuin (marriage ceremony), to breaking the glass—by offering Jewish wisdom in preparation for a life dedicated to love and companionship, and by providing knowledge and experience to help design the ceremony.
wedding
funeral
Our tradition offers several powerful end of life rituals—kriah (tearing of a garment), levayah (funeral procession), hesped (eulogy), kevurah (burial) and shivah (seven days of mourning). Kol Shalom has plots in Port Blakely Cemetery on Bainbridge Island available to members, and our Chevra Kadisha (burial society) performs taharah (purification) and shemira (watching over the body).
baby
naming
We celebrate the great blessing of a newborn daughter with a ceremony that brings her into the covenant, and confers upon her a Hebrew name. Rabbi Darío can help you think through and design this ceremony, which can take place at home, at the synagogue, or on Shabbat.