Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation

Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation We provide opportunities to create and celebrate a meaningful Jewish life. Kol Hadash has grown steadily since our founding in 2001.

Kol Hadash is a vibrant and inclusive Jewish Community known for “Doing Jewish Differently" by replacing worship with human knowledge, responsibility and action. Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation is the only full-service Humanistic Jewish congregation in the Chicago area. As a result, we draw members from Chicago to Libertyville and Gurnee, from Naperville to Deerfield and Highland Park. Rabbi Ad

am Chalom joined us in 2004 as our full-time rabbi and leads a full schedule of Shabbat and High Holiday services, Adult Education, and many other programs. Our Sunday School meets weekly for children in K through Confirmation (Grade 10) with a two-year B'nai Mitzvah program beginning in 6th grade, as well as a monthly PreK and Tots program. Our members create and participate in a wide variety of holiday, social, community service, and educational programs throughout the year. We invite you to find out more about Kol Hadash, Chicagoland's home to Humanistic Judaism.

Sunday School is back in session, and we're kicking off the new year with a FREE warm and welcoming open house! Meet mem...
09/04/2026

Sunday School is back in session, and we're kicking off the new year with a FREE warm and welcoming open house! Meet members of the Kol Hadash community, let your children try out a class, and enjoy a delicious bagel brunch with family activities.

📅 Date: Sunday, Sept 13
⏰ Time: 9:30am - 11:30am

The event will take place at Deerfield High School (1959 Waukegan Road). Learn more here: https://tinyurl.com/s83rnmc7

If the world wasn't made in 6 days, how should we celebrate Shabbat? The end of the Jewish week can become a time for fa...
09/02/2026

If the world wasn't made in 6 days, how should we celebrate Shabbat? The end of the Jewish week can become a time for family, gratitude, and contemplation. Humanistic Shabbat blessings make sharing candlelight, w**e, and bread meaningful for cultural Jews who want celebrate their Judaism by saying and singing what they truly believe.

Take a look at how we "do Shabbat differently": https://tinyurl.com/5sp79re4

OR watch our short Home Shabbat service: https://tinyurl.com/5yzf25ps

09/01/2026

Can you have a Bar, Bat, or B Mitzvah without an assigned Torah portion?

At Kol Hadash, our students don't get assigned a portion of the week. They choose the focus of their presentations.

They sit down one-on-one with Rabbi Adam and find a text or a topic, an issue, even a person from Jewish history (from the Torah or beyond it) that actually means something to them. Their community service project grows from that same choice.

Because for us at Kol Hadash, meaning starts with real choice.

Give your child a Jewish education built around curiosity, human values, and experience.

Want your child to experience what it’s like to attend our Sunday School? Join us at our Open House–it’s FREE and everyone is welcome. It’s on September 13, Sunday School at Deerfield High School.

Link in the comments to register.

Parents will be invited to a relaxed Parent Info Session while your kids are in class. Complimentary breakfast are on us. 😉 See you there!

The Jewish New Year is coming! This year, the day after we celebrate Rosh Hashana (family service at 2pm on Sept. 12), w...
08/28/2026

The Jewish New Year is coming! This year, the day after we celebrate Rosh Hashana (family service at 2pm on Sept. 12), we’re opening our school for a FREE Open House info session to anyone who wants to know more about our Sunday School.

Everyone is invited–Jewish, interfaith, secular, or just curious. If you’re looking for a Sunday School that will teach your child Jewish culture but also encourage them to be curious, ask questions, and experience life, you’ve found the right place.

Register for the Open House info session here: openhouse.kolhadash.com

It’s on September 13, Sunday at Deerfield High School. It's FREE to join!

Our final Shabbat service of the Jewish calendar year is our "Meet the Congregation" event including Rabbi Chalom discus...
08/27/2026

Our final Shabbat service of the Jewish calendar year is our "Meet the Congregation" event including Rabbi Chalom discussing "Free Judaism" and our incomparable choir.

If you have friends, neighbors, or family members who have questions about Humanistic Judaism or Kol Hadash, this is the perfect opportunity to show them how we "do Jewish differently!"

Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/y5w467hd

Our choir is rehearsing for the High Holidays right now, and you can get ready to sing along by spending time with our l...
08/26/2026

Our choir is rehearsing for the High Holidays right now, and you can get ready to sing along by spending time with our library of live performances. Enjoy renditions of both traditional Jewish songs and more modern compositions from our talented soloists and the entire ensemble.

Check out the YouTube playlist: https://tinyurl.com/46vk9rb2

08/24/2026

At Kol Hadash, while Jewish cultural literacy comes first—learning what it's like to spin a dreidel, light a menorah, taste a latke–teaching Humanistic values to our students is just as important.

We want our children to think for themselves. Using reason, asking what the evidence says, asking questions and being okay with "I don't know." We explore what others believe so they can figure out what they believe.

That's Jewish education, done differently.

Give your child a Jewish education that celebrates their culture and their curiosity.

Learn more and register for our Secular Sunday School on our FREE Open House info session on September 13 at Deerfield High School. You bring the questions, we bring the answers - and YOU decide if we’re a fit for your family. Register here: openhouse.kolhadash.com

08/21/2026

Join us for a free Open House at Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation on the first day of Sunday School, September 13 at Deerfield High School.

Register here: openhouse.kolhadash.com

By joining, your child/ren can try our Sunday School class, while you join our relaxed info session to learn more about our program. We’ll answer all your questions, and enjoy a complimentary family brunch.

At Kol Hadash, children explore Jewish culture, holidays, history, values, community, and identity through questions, discussion, and hands-on learning.

Everyone is welcome to join–families who are secular, cultural, interfaith, Humanistic, not religious, agnostic, atheist, Jew-ish, Jewish and something else, or still figuring it out.

See you there!

Kol Hadash offers three different Rosh Hashanah services — both online and in-person — and allows you to choose the cont...
08/21/2026

Kol Hadash offers three different Rosh Hashanah services — both online and in-person — and allows you to choose the contribution that's comfortable for you. They're also open to all and last less than 90 minutes, so invite anyone who's curious about how a Humanistic congregation approaches the Jewish New Year!

Evening Adult Service: Fri, Sept 11 @ 7:30pm
Morning Adult Service: Sat, Sept 12 @ 10:30am
Family Service: Sat, Sept 12 @ 2:00pm

Registration required for the Evening and Morning Adult services (not required for Family). Please sign up by Thursday, Sept 3rd: https://tinyurl.com/muyc8zw3

At Kol Hadash, Shabbat services are both familiar and different from what most other Jewish congregations experience. If...
08/19/2026

At Kol Hadash, Shabbat services are both familiar and different from what most other Jewish congregations experience. If you missed a program that you wish you'd been able to attend, or wanted to share it with someone else curious about Humanistic Judaism, you're in luck — we've captured and archived years of Shabbats and other programs on our YouTube channel.

Visit our video playlists to search for sermons, services, and much more: https://tinyurl.com/3tmewtmb

Address

2100 Half Day Road
Deerfield, IL
60015

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 3pm
Tuesday 9am - 3pm
Wednesday 10am - 3pm
Thursday 9am - 3pm
Friday 9am - 3pm

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