WELCOME TO CONGREGATION KOL AMI OF FREDERICK A Reform Jewish Congregation
When you join Congregation Kol Ami of Frederick (CKAF), you become a member of a special community that
· Celebrates, studies and prays together,
· Supports its members in times of need,
· Shares a commitment to just causes, and
· Respects the varied backgrounds we bring into the sanctuary.
This membership information is designed to give you a “feel” for the many programs, activities and services that we can provide you and your family. This is a brief introduction to the warm community of CKAF, of worship, study, and friendship. Over the years, we seek to become an extended family, by helping each other, sharing our simchas as well as our sorrows, and continuing to pride ourselves in being a community.
CKAF has completed the process of affiliating with the Union for Reform Judaism as of November 2005, which is the governing body for American Reform Jewish Congregations, and offers numerous support services and programming for affiliated Congregations. CKAF seeks to establish URJ-based Youth Groups, as well as adult auxiliaries such as Sisterhood and Brotherhood.
Our Congregation extends a warm welcome to interfaith families and encourages them to participate fully in the life of the Congregation.
Our newsletter, “The Voice,” will keep members up-to-date on all Congregational news, scheduled activities, member simchas, deaths and illnesses, and new members.
OUR DOORS ARE ALWAYS OPEN FOR JEWISH LEARNING AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH
CKAF will strive to offer a comprehensive selection of adult education classes and activities that will focus on the needs of our adult members. These programs will focus on various aspects of Jewish life, including the holidays, customs and insights; and the various struggles and historical circumstances that gave rise to our rites and rituals. CKAF invites you to discover how being Jewish speaks to our adult lives and adult situations in ways that touch on the deepest questions of our lives.
We hope to offer Adult Education programs that may include Hebrew courses, book groups, classes in religious studies, and speakers and forums on a variety of topics of interest to congregants. Examples may include the “Taste of Judaism” class, which provides an introduction to the religion, adult Hebrew classes (including a Marathon class that could have you reading Hebrew in one day!), Shabbat programming, and Torah study.
Worship
CKAF is proud to have Rabbi Daniel Sikowitz with us to lead us in worship. Rabbi Sikowitz recently graduated from the Hebrew Union College in New York City.
Presently, CKAF is offering twice-monthly Shabbat services on Friday nights and Saturday mornings. For more information on our monthly Shabbat services and events, click here.
In addition, CKAF holds High Holiday services each year. For both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we hold eveningservices, children’s services and morning services. There is also a Yizkor service and a Ne’ilah service on Yom Kippur afternoon. Babysitting will be available for the morning services. Click here for information on the 2010 High Holiday Schedule.
We now have a Cantorial Soloist for our Shabbat Services and High Holiday Services, Dr. Eric Dubbin. CKAF also hopes to establish a choir to assist Dr. Dubbin in leading the Congregation in song and prayer.
Social Action
CONGREGATION KOL AMI OF FREDERICK MEMBERS WORK IN PROJECTS TO GIVE BACK TO OUR COMMUNITY
CKAF has a commitment to Frederick County, Maryland, and we will seek to provide on-going opportunities for congregants to participate in social action activities that serve our community.
Kol Ami has a very active Social Action Committee. Each year, we plan a Mitzvah Day, in which our congregants volunteer their time to various one-day community projects. The committee also focuses on projects to help feed the hungry, aid the elderly, and help low-income families lift themselves out of poverty, both locally and around the world. Three Tzedekah events are held each year to support an organization both on the local, national and international level. There is one Social Action Shabbat each year, during which the congregation focuses its attention on current issues around the world, in an effort to help CKAF make a difference! Click here for information on the Social Action Committee.
CKAF has also started a “Mitzvah Corps,” which seeks to aid congregants who are undergoing stressful periods, whether celebrating simchas, such as a birth of a child, or tsuris, such as illness or death in the family.
Mitzvah Corps
Mitzvah Corps The purpose of the Mitzvah Corps is to support members and friends of CKAF in times of simchas (joy), and tsuris (difficulty). We'd like to set up a system so that we can provide some type of acknowledgment to new parents, rides for those who can't provide their own transportation to Kol Ami services and events, assistance to those who have lost a loved one, etc. Your ideas are welcomed and encouraged. Please contact mitzvah@kolamifrederick.org if you are interested in serving on this committee.
Donation cards are available through CKAF on line. This is a wonderful way to remember a loved one, honor a Bar or Bat Mitzvah child, or just to remember the important times in the lives of your friends and loved ones. For information on the funds available for your tax-deductible donations, please click here
