Testimonials
Our members come to Kol Hadash from many paths — from every Jewish denomination (including “Just Jewish”), as well as from multicultural, interfaith, LGBTQIA+ and non-traditional families.
The voices are our members’ -- the stories are their journeys to Humanistic Judaism and reflections on their experiences at Kol Hadash. Meet more of our members.
Sunday School Is Teaching Our Children to Think for Themselves
by Karen Jackson
"My children are learning about the traditions of Judaism but they aren’t being told what to believe. I see Sunday School shaping them as human beings, not just a place to go Sunday morning."
I Do What Fits for Me by Rick Bolnick
“Rabbi Chalom is knowledgeable about so many things, not just Judaism. Whether it’s archeology or psychology or philosophy, he stimulates me. So I come home with all sorts of new thoughts."
Read Rick’s humorous essay “What I Believe: My Thoughts About My Judaism.”
We Wanted Our Kids to Have a Choice by Marla Davishoff
“[My son] started to question whether or not he believed in god. Our congregation didn’t teach him what to believe or what not to believe, but it gave him the space to explore."
Solution to a ‘Mixed Jewish Marriage" by Mark Friedlander
“My wife and I are a mixed marriage. My wife was raised in a very traditional, conservative congregation, and I had no religious background.”
Finding My Jewish Home by Suzie Garfield
“When I was a child, I would come home from Sunday School and ask questions about the discrepancy between what I learned in Sunday school about what we were supposed to be doing at home and what we were actually doing.”
I Believe What I Say by David Hirsch
“The hook for me first and foremost is really the philosophy of Humanistic Judaism: That I can be culturally Jewish but I can also say words that I believe.”
Wed, December 18 2024 17 Kislev 5785