Lifecycle Events
Around the Birth of a Child
Children are wonderful, and the transition to parenting is challenging. All of our Rabbis enjoy an opportunity to meet with expectant or new parents to talk about the transition into becoming a family or seeing a family grow. Issues of general and Jewish parenting are considered. Also feel welcome to request an Aliyah for the birth mother to praise God and pray for health and well being.
When the child is a boy, contact a mohel or doctor who can perform a ritual circumcision. The ceremony customarily takes place on the 8th day after birth. After contacting a mohel, please feel free to invite a Rabbi to celebrate with you. The chance to hold a new baby, conferring a name upon him, and blessing him are sacred opportunities in which our rabbis delight! Contact the office for referrals.
When the child is a girl, families are invited to celebrate with a ritual naming. This can be done by having an Aliyah on Shabbat at the Torah for the whole community to celebrate. It can also be done through an individualized service at home or elsewhere with one of the rabbis officiating. Feel free to contact Kol Emeth and a rabbi will be delighted to help you.
B'nai Mitzvah Process
See our B'nai Mitzvah page for more information.
Engagements and Weddings
Mazel Tov! The decision to get married and build a home filled with warmth and love is serious and praiseworthy. Kol Emeth's rabbis look forward to the opportunity to get to know a couple and to celebrate together. The rabbis offer four pre-marital counseling sessions. These sessions include issues of family connections, communication, values, and intimacy.
Please contact the office to make an appointment as early as possible in the process to lay the groundwork for a special day filled with holiness.
Seeking Judaism
For those interested in learning more about Jewish practice, theology, and history, Kol Emeth offers a weekly Judaism 101 class. Some take this class to deepen their knowledge as a Jew, others to be supportive partners in a Jewish family. And some take the class as part of the process of becoming Jewish. In addition to the class, those seeking to convert meet with a Rabbi monthly over the course of 9-10 months of study. Please contact Rabbi Booth for more information.
Funerals and Shiva
The loss of a loved one is traumatic and wrenching. It is a time when community becomes especially important. That is why Kol Emeth is so committed to helping families have a Shiva minyan in their home and making people feel welcome at our regular services to say Kaddish. We have prayerbooks and minyan leaders ready to help. All of our rabbis are also open to learning about you, offering comfort, and helping navigate through this time of loss. In the event of a loss, please contact the office and a message will be quickly sent to one of the rabbis.
We have a brochure available to provide additional help: Guidance for a Time of Great Loss
Kol Emeth daily minyan provides an intimate environment for communal prayer and supports those in our community mourning the loss of a loved one. Everyone is welcome.
