by Rabbinic Intern Shira Stutman

I have in front of me my Kol Ami notebook for 2003-2004. As I flip through it, looking back over the year that has just passed, I realize that many wonderful things have gone on under Kol Ami’s proverbial roof:

• In our adult education program, we studied the politics of war and of American Jews, we figured out how to make the High Holy Days meaningful and who wrote the Bible, and we experimented with pluralism and pomegranates (on Tu B’Shvat!).
• In our services, we read poetry about Kiddush, Kaddish, and Kavannah. We studied and discussed midwifery, “Jewish” values, and Tzizit. We prayed in Hebrew, English and Yiddish.
• We began a teen program! We studied sex and socioeconomics, Messianism and monotheism.

Our theme for next year is “Great Jewish Books.” As such, your summer reading assignment, should you choose to accept it, is Back to the Sources, edited by Barry Holtz. Additionally, might I suggest The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant? (For the few of you who haven’t read it already!) The former is a fabulous (if a little academic) review of Jewish literature over the past few thousand years. The latter, a contemporary interpretation of ancient text, may be interesting in light of our first session for the coming year: “Playing with Words…Playing with Fire? Midrash in the Jewish imagination.” (We don’t begin our adult education sessions until October, so you have plenty of time!)

I feel very lucky to have been a part of Kol Ami this past year, and look forward to returning to continue in the celebration. Please feel free to contact me over the summer with any questions or comments: ShiraS@comcast.net, or 215.848.5924. See you on Rosh Hashannah!