Embedded Files
May 20, 2025
May 20, 2025
Watch a bit of Rabbi Emily and Shira’s Shabbat service from last Friday night. Their next service will be on May 30th. Mark your calendars!
This Shabbat
This Shabbat
Shabbat Unplugged
Friday, May 23, 7:00pm
CHC Chapel and virtual
Join Cantor George, Rabbi Steven, and Shira Kurrus in a night of musical celebration and prayer.
Note: Omer counting will be done during the service on Friday nights.
There will be no separate meeting to count.
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Shabbat Morning Service
Saturday, May 24, 10:00am
CHC Chapel and virtual
Join Rabbi Steven and Cantor George for Shabbat morning!
(Please remember that the chapel is a fragrance-free zone.)
Counting the Omer
Counting the Omer
Every Night through Saturday, May 31
(except Friday Nights!)
8:00pm–8:30pm — virtual (New Link!)
Come when you can - every night or any night! We're always happy to see you!
Thank you to those who have been coming to create such a meaningful, thought provoking experience.
Everyone is invited to drop in for a night and see what it’s all about!
We say the blessing and discuss the energy of the day according to the kabbalistic tradition.
Continue the process of liberation every night for 49 days, until Shavuot.
We will not be meeting on Friday nights because we will be counting during Shabbat services.
This Week
This Week
Speaking Across Differences
Minicourse taught by Benjamin Sax
Wednesday, May 21, 7:00pm-8:30pm
Online via Zoom, Free - Register Here
This course will interrogate the question of what it means to dialogue during a time of political violence, persecution,
gaslighting, and oppression. Very often we teach that tolerance is a virtue in dialogue, yet should we also
be tolerant of intolerance? How does that work?
The concept of tolerance in philosophy is often elusive and, at times, replete with paradoxes and antinomies. How
does our dialogical obligation to the Other reconcile our civic responsibility to oppose what we perceive to be unethical
and irresponsible beliefs, behaviors, or policies? Can we dialogue when we perceive our Other as either complicit with, or
worse a perpetrator of the very worldviews that support and condone hatred and violence?
We will consider a variety of views and try to chart a new dialogical path together by examining how different philosophers,
political theorists, historians, and theologians have broached these questions during their own times of political peril.
**Community Sharing**
Cancelled this week. We hope to see you next week!
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**Service Leadership Workshop with Rabbi Emily**
Cancelled this week. We hope to see you next week!
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Vote for The Candyman!
The Candyman and the Baltimore Show's Blues Harmonica concert at Kol HaLev was nominated as part
of the Jewish Times' BEST OF SERIES. Please vote for us at this link.
Voting is open through May 27th.
Shavuot
Shavuot
Programming and Shared Learning
On June 1st, we will be having a day and night of programming and shared learning with other Baltimore communities.
We’ll be at Third Space in the afternoon, and then our fellow Reconstructionist congregations in the evening. (Time TBA)
Shavuot Daytime
Sunday, June 1, 12:00pm-4:00pm
Third Space at Shaarei Tfiloh
A Taste of Third Space: 10 Sacred Ideas for Right Now!
An open house, garden party, and day of learning all wrapped into one! Join us for a taste of what makes Third Space so special.
Drop in for one session or stay all day! More information here.
Rabbi Emily will be teaching at 2:00pm!
Shavuot Evening
Sunday, June 1, Time TBA
Have something to teach?
On the evening of June 1st, The Reconstructionist Communities are coming together for a collaboration again.
If you are interested in teaching a course there, please contact Rabbi Emily asap.
More information coming soon!
Save the Dates!
Save the Dates!
First Meeting of the High Holiday Choir 🎶
Saturday, May 31, after Shabbat Services
With Rabbi Emily and Cantorial Soloist Mara Yaffee.
Let Rabbi Emily know if you are interested in joining us, if you haven’t already!
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KHL Board Meeting
Sunday, June 1, 10:00am
Zoom link and agenda coming soon.
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KHL Bylaws Meeting
Sunday, June 15, 3:00pm
More information and zoom link coming soon.
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Annual Congregational Meeting
Sunday, June 22, 10:00am
More information to come.
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ALEPH Conference
Monday, June 30 - Sunday, July 6
ALEPH, the organization associated with Jewish Renewal that Rabbis Emily and Steven attended
for Rabbinic Ordination, is having their big gathering here in Baltimore! What a treat! The
conference is June 30th- July 6th over July 4th Shabbat. We are trying to gauge interest in
Kol HaLev attending. There are discounts available for groups of 8 or more for the week of
learning, as well as circumstances we can figure out if we have a group interested in attending
for shabbat. Please email Rabbi Steven if you are interested in joining KHL for this endeavor.
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Interfaith Psalm Exploration with Rabbi Emily and Reverend Anne
Thursdays, July 10, 17, 24, 31, 11:00am-12:00pm
CHC Library
This July, due to popular demand, we are bringing back the shared Psalms class with
KHL and the Church of the Holy Comforter. Led by Rabbi Emily and Rev Ann!
Rabbi Emily and Reverend Anne+ of Church of the Holy Comforter will be leading a discussion on the book of psalms,
a text shared by both our traditions. It is a good chance to reconnect with CHC.
Community Information
Community Information
Baruch Dayan ha'Emet
It is with great sadness that we share with you the passing of Dori Haas,
cousin of KHL member Betsy Wexler.
If you would like to send condolences to Betsy, you can email her here.
Please keep the family of Dori in your thoughts and prayers
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Check out these wonderful photos from Jennifer’s story telling workshop!
Have you gotten your Mitzvah Cards yet?
For any occasion, simcha, or offering of condolences, consider
purchasing a card from KHL, showcasing our beautiful Torah mantle!
Please contact Alan Silver if you would like to purchase Mitzvah Cards.
Alan can also be reached at 443-996-3445.
10 cards (with envelopes) for $36.
Or a single card for $5.
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Kabbalat Shabbat Service in Your Home!
Would you like to invite Kol HaLev to your home for Friday night services? R' Emily will come with her guitar and lead a short
Shabbat service followed by a potluck! It’s really intimate and fun to be together in a comfortable and cozy environment.
Please email Rabbi Emily if you are interested in having us to your home on the second Friday of any month!
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Stay Informed!
We have adopted text messages to provide important information about KHL and KHL events.
Add 410.346.9989 to your contact list so that you will know the text is from KHL.
You can opt out of our sms messages by replying STOP. You can also “unsubscribe” by logging into the member portal,
hovering over “My Account,” choosing “My Subscriptions,” click edit, uncheck the sms subscription, click save.
We are also using Instagram and Facebook for publicizing KHL, so we encourage people to subscribe!
Website
Website
For more about Kol HaLev, our people, services, programs, and events,
check out the updated Kol HaLev website at www.kolhalevmd.org!
Newsletter
Newsletter
Contributing to the Newsletter: The weekly KHL newsletter goes out on Tuesdays. If you’d like to put an item in the newsletter, please clear it with Rabbi Emily and Alan Silver by noon on the previous Sunday. Suitable items include KHL activities, some CHC activities, and events of particular interest in the larger Jewish community. Please provide a complete paragraph (or several paragraphs) with all relevant information.
As a rule, the KHL newsletter does not reprint content from other sources, whether print or digital. A summary and a link to the content may be provided instead. If you have material that you think is vitally important to reprint in the KHL newsletter, please provide proof of permission from the author(s) and publisher. The relevant information on copyright law is available here.
Rabbi Emily Stern: 516-835-9995, rabbi@kolhalevmd.org
President Alan Silver: 443-996-3445, president@kolhalevmd.org
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