Kol HaNeshamah marks 30th anniversary

Congregation Kol HaNeshamah in Englewood is celebrating 30 years of prayer, learning, service, and community. The egalitarian congregation launched its yearlong KH@30 observance with celebrations, learning opportunities, and community-service programs honoring the congregation’s past while looking toward its future.

Kol HaNeshamah — Hebrew for “Voice of the Soul” — has sought to create an intimate Jewish community grounded in tradition, participation, and connection. Its Shabbat and holiday services combine traditional and contemporary elements in an informal, participatory environment, with members sharing responsibility for leading prayer and Torah and offering teachings and discussion. 

Rabbi Ethan Linden, Kol HaNeshamah’s rabbi-in-residence, directs educational operations and design for the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. He’s also a former director of Ramah Berkshires.       

“Kol HaNeshamah has always been about much more than a place to pray,” the shul’s president, Elyse Haber, said. “It is a community in which people show up for one another — to celebrate, to learn, to question, to serve, and when necessary, to support one another through difficult times. Our 30th anniversary gives us an opportunity both to honor what generations of members have built and to imagine what we can build together in the years ahead.”

The KH@30 celebration begins with a progressive dinner Sukkah hop on September 30. Other events include a Chanukah dinner celebration on December 4 and a 30th-anniversary gala on January 30. A special welcome-home Shabbat, April 9-10, will include former members and the now-adult children who grew up in the congregation.

There will also be a community Mitzvah Day; a Shabbaton, October 23-24, with scholar-in residence Rabbi Aviva Richman; scholar/storyteller Miriam Anzovin will be there on February 28; and a special musical Shabbaton led by Rabbi Deborah Sacks Mintz will be on April 9-10. The year of celebration concludes with participation in the Salute to Israel Parade, and a book discussion marking the 30th anniversary of Philip Roth’s “American Pastoral.”

“Thirty years is both a milestone and an invitation,” said Rebecca Ivry and Gail Silverman, co-chairs of KH@30. “We want this year to bring together the people who built Kol HaNeshamah, the people who call it home today, and those who may become part of its next chapter. KH@30 is a celebration of the relationships and shared experiences that turn a congregation into a community.”

For information about KH@30 events, volunteering, or participating in the anniversary year, email KH30@khnj.org. For more information about Congregation Kol HaNeshamah, go to khnj.org.