Aleynu
This prayer comes right at the end of our service as another opportunity to offer gratitude. It is a long prayer. We do not recite most of it during our Kol Ami services--just the start and the end. I love this liturgy. Aleynu is the only prayer in Judaism that mentions Tikkun Olam, healing and repairing the world, but it is one of the parts we do not recite.
I have long struggled with the Aleynu, despite my love for it. This is because Aleynu also specifically gives thanks to God for selecting the Jewish people over all other people and for NOT making us like all other people. It reads today as chauvinistic. Especially because we have so many people who are not Jewish but are important to our community. Of our Religious School families, well over fifty percent are interfaith. We are, in reality, a Jewish community made up of many people of different backgrounds. I am thankful for our diversity and the commitment of time, resources, and heart to the Jewish people by so many people not of this heritage.
So Aleynu is wonderful and problematic. Which means we have a wonderful opportunity to make Aleynu into something wonderful and non-problematic by transforming it into a time for our community members and friends of our community to share words of personal gratitude for--anything! Someone, somewhere, something, some time period...we will build Aleynu up by adding words of our own thankfulness.
Therefore, you, yes you, are invited to share 3-5 minutes of gratitude any upcoming Shabbat. I am setting up a calendar. This is a chance for you to connect with community, write your own thoughts and help us build holy community. This week a new friend to our community, Oliver Keyes, will be speaking for Aleynu on the prophetess Huldah.
This Shabbat we will celebrate the Bat Mitzvah of Aviva Salitra. Aviva will be chanting from the Torah Parashat Pincas and more specifically the story of the daughters of Zelophechad--service starts 10:30am. Torah Study precedes all of our morning services at 9am.
Join in the Kol Ami Community celebration when Aviva Salitra is called to the Torah as a Bat 
We are honored to announce that Jane Hashash is our new Religious School Coordinator. Jane comes to us with decades of experience working with children and teens in the area of arts education. She is an accomplished caterer and pastry chef. Jane brings her skills in project management, event planning and creativity within Judaism to our education team. We could not be more thrilled to add her and her many gifts to program. Jane is married to Asher Hashash and is mother to Avi and Noam.
