Kolot Chayeinu

04/29/2026

Join Kolot Clergy Rabbi Ellen Lippmann (speaking), Cantor Lisa B. Segal (leading the singing) and Rabbi Sam Kates-Goldman - THIS Thursday, April 30: 5:30 pm - location being finalized but looking like City Hall Park. More soon.

Let's lift our voices to protect our immigrant neighbors - the fathers, mothers, grandparents, children, and friends being tormented by ICE and this administration just for living their lives, seeking safety, and protecting their families. All of our families came here as immigrants - we will not look away.

Jews in solidarity with the growing movement to reject ICE brutality and violence. We want ICE out of our schools and workplaces, out of our parks and streets, out of our places of worship, and out of communities everywhere. Grounded in our sacred teachings, we make the moral case that this system is both a failure of policy and of conscience, and that it does not have to be this way. Jews demand: ICE Out!

Join this anchoring rally or find one all around the country tomorrow as the Jewish people refuse this system of cruelty and instead choose justice, compassion, and love.

What is Jews Demand: ICE Out! National Day of Action? On April 30, Jews around the country will gather to demand ICE OUT, anchored by a mass action in New York City. We are taking action as Jews in solidarity with the growing movement to reject ICE brutality and violence. We want ICE out of our sch...

04/17/2026

A reminder that Rabbi Sam and Cantor Lisa will be leading Kabbalat Shabbat tonight at 6:30pm at 1012 8th Ave, alongside klezmer all star Eléonore Weill.

We’ll be downstairs, with the lights low, sitting in the round. Services go till 8pm and are followed by Kidush, Motzi, POTLUCK and zemires (more singing!).

Please join us to welcome the Spring and lift our weary voices and hearts with song and prayer in these hard times.

03/17/2026

We’re hiring an Administrative Assistant!

Kolot Chayeinu is looking for someone with strong organizational and communication skills to support daily operations, program logistics, member engagement, and more.

The ideal candidate for this full-time, hybrid position is detail-oriented, personable, reliable, service-minded, and comfortable working in a Jewish community environment.

Learn more and apply here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zYNF8YzbmN0eYhEoAPGaxg_bjYwtGdPY/view

And please share the job description with anyone you may know who may be interested.

03/10/2026

Over the past year, the Wises have been studying z’mirot (hymns/songs). Join the mother-son duo THIS Saturday afternoon, March 14th to study the meanings of the z’mirot, learn (or revisit) these melodies, and then sing in community.

Each participant will receive a copy of the shiron (songbook) that the Wises created, which includes the z'mirot (in Hebrew, transliterated, and translated into English), along with original poetry and prompts for your own creative writing and discussion.

No musical experience or knowledge of Hebrew is required — everyone is welcome!

Register here: https://kolotchayeinu.shulcloud.com/form/5786-psalm-class.html

03/05/2026

How can Jewish texts, practices, and history fuel our justice work?

If you’re in your 20s or 30s, join us on Saturday, March 21st from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at the Church of Gethsemane to explore texts and stories that might spark inspiration.

While welcoming multiple interpretations and perspectives, we’ll build community and create space to reflect on our experiences and beliefs.

Part of Avodah’s core curriculum, this offering will be led by Kolotnik Sonia Alexander, NYC Justice Fellowship Director.

Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScwbfl48nTpHFaGBXoVdTfW-eW-wlzo_wBwFdRlU7nUFmFI8A/viewform

03/04/2026

📜🎶 Curious about leyning Torah, but not sure where to begin?

Wondering how the trope marks shape the text’s music and meaning?

Interested in the history behind these symbols?

If so, Student Rabbi Molly Schulman’s Introduction to Leyning class — starting THIS Monday night, March 9th at the Church of Gethsemane — is for you!

Over six weeks, you’ll learn Ashkenazi cantillation in a supportive community. There will be homework, but it’ll be worth it.

Register here: https://kolotchayeinu.shulcloud.com/form/5786-intro-to-leyning

02/23/2026

Amid these hard, topsy-turvy times, we remember how the world was turned upside down for the Jews of Shushan. And we’re grateful to find — in the joy (and even chaos) of our community — the strength, like Esther, to resist.

Celebrate Purim with us next Monday, March 2nd, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Church of Gethsemane!

Our loud and wild celebration for all ages will include:

🍽️ A potluck
🎶 A live performance by the Kolot House Band
📜 The chanting of the Megillah
🎭 Our annual spiel (a lively retelling of the holiday story)
🎉 A costume parade
📖 Adult learning
🗣️ Lots of noise
😋 And, of course, hamantaschen and other (though probably non-triangular) treats!

RSVP today at the link here: https://kolotchayeinu.shulcloud.com/form/5786-purim-rsvp-form.html

02/19/2026

🎶 Join us TOMORROW, February 20th at 6:30 p.m. at Gethsemane for Kabbalat Shabbat!

Usher in the sweetness of Shabbat through songful services and kavanot with Student Rabbi Hadar Ahuvia and klezmer musicians Ira Temple and Éléonore Weill.

We’ll conclude with kiddush, motzi, a potluck supper — sign up for a dish here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1K8CBmTI3H6Z_ooNpkvpBqn9P5DtxQFZBw4m6nV183WM/edit?usp=sharing

Update: Despite appearing in this graphic, Cantor Lisa B. Segal will no longer attend.

02/05/2026

ICE is tearing families apart and terrorizing our communities. Jewish leaders and community members are showing up, and Kolotniks will be joining them.

On February 11, many of us will take action with , , and more in front of ICE headquarters in D.C. to demand an end to this violent system and show that the American Jewish community stands with our neighbors.

Join the movement: truah.org/jewsagainstice

02/03/2026

Poet Rachel Tzvia Back will discuss her new lyric memoir with Kolot Board Member Sally Charnow on Thursday, February 12th at 7:30 p.m. at Couleur Café & Wine Bar.

Threading myth through memoir and poetry through prose, Back asks: How do we survive seasons of despair? Can we break the cycles that bind us to sorrow?

“More than a memoir of postpartum depression,” Rachel Louise Moran, author of Blue: A History of Postpartum Depression in America, writes, “The Dark-Robed Mother is a powerful exploration of motherhood, religion, grief, illness, and family.”

Save the date for this illuminating conversation!

01/23/2026

From Cantor Lisa B. Segal - these times demand action. I’ve never been this profoundly proud to be Minnesotan and a Brooklynite, a Jew and a human - singing and praying and witnessing, hearing testimony, driving through the city and spending time with hundreds of clergy and activists of every stripe here over the past two and a half days. There are over 66 languages spoken in this City, and in -21 below weather, thousands  are working to connect across barriers to keep each other warm and fed and safe and today, marching (50,000+!!!) and standing up to say NO to ICE. Here in Minneapolis and our whole country. Stunning the ways this city and its folks are modeling how to stand up to protect each other against the face of this brutal, amoral incursion.

When Kolot’s clergy team talked about showing up for each other at Rosh Hashana, my friends… this is what that looks like! More soon - pix and video - but for now sending you all wishes for a Shabbat Shalom…with love and care.