Baby Naming
We name babies at our Erev Shabbat or Shabbat morning services. Sometimes the babies and their parents are new to us; sometimes they are the children or grandchildren of members. All are welcome to call us and arrange a date for us to welcome your child into the Jewish community. You will meet with Rabbi Samuel L. Spector to discuss how the ceremony will work for your family (and to help choose your child’s Jewish name, if you’re not sure what it should be).
Often the family of the newly-named child hosts the post-services Oneg or Kiddush.
Brit Milah
For thousands of years, male Jewish children have been welcomed into the Jewish community on the eighth day after birth, via the ritual circumcision known as Brit Milah, at which boys are also called by their Hebrew names for the first time.
Members are welcome to hold their Brit ceremonies at our shul.
What does it mean to become Bar or Bat Mitzvah?
Literally Bar Mitzvah means “son of the commandment” and Bat Mitzvah means “daughter of the commandment.” Jewish law does not require children to follow the commandments, though they are encouraged to do so. At the age of thirteen children become obligated to fulfill the mitzvot. Bar and Bat Mitzvah is not an event, rather it is a change in status. While we may perceive thirteen to be in the midst of childhood, Jewish law allows B’nai Mitzvah (plural of Bar or Bat Mitzvah) to count in a minyan (the minimum number of people necessary for some religious practices), to form binding contracts, and to serve as a witness in religious courts.
The celebration of a B’nai Mitzvah is fairly recent in Jewish history, dating back only five centuries. To show a community that a young person was now legally an adult, they would be called to recite the blessing before and after the reading of the Torah, a mitzvah and privilege reserved for adults.
Today it is the educational aspect, rather than reaching the age of majority, which is stressed. At Congregation Kol Ami, B’nai Mitzvah demonstrate their ability to lead services, read Torah, participate in Tikkun Olam and social action projects, as well as teach the community.
B’nai Mitzvah is not the endpoint of Jewish Education. We are all obligated to continue the study of Torah and the fulfillment of righteous deeds throughout our lives. B’nai Mitzvah celebrate their change in status and honor their new responsibility not only on the day of their ceremony but through ongoing commitments to our tradition and community.
Celebrations
There are a variety of opportunities and options for celebration surrounding B’nai Mitzvah including a Shabbat dinner, luncheons, and evening celebrations.
Often the family of the B’nai Mitzvah hosts the post-services community Kiddush in additional to private celebrations.
Kol Ami spaces are available to rent for your celebration. Depending on the time of the event, there are some Shabbat restrictions including the type of music that can be played, photography limitations, and other activity guidelines.
Candidates must begin and extended period of study by enrolling in our Thursday night Introduction to Jewish Life course. Course topics will include an overview of Jewish holidays, practices, faith, history, and an intro to Hebrew. Additional options for appropriate study may be arranged on a case by case basis.
Once study is underway, conversion candidates will meet periodically with their sponsoring rabbi. These meetings serve as a “safe space” in which both candidates and sponsors discuss the process of developing Jewish identity: taking on specific mitzvot, finding a place in the Utah Jewish community, building a sense of Jewish peoplehood and a relationship with Israel, and exploring how conversion impacts work, family, and personal relationships.
Please note that there is no set time frame for conversion. Each individual process is unique and can range anywhere from a period of several months to years.
One of the final steps in the conversion process includes an appearance before a Beit Din (usually a panel of the candidate’s sponsor and two rabbis), in which the candidate discusses their journey toward Judaism and affirms their commitment to living a life of mitzvot. Pending approval by the Beit Din, immersion in a mikvah follows. In keeping with the choice of Congregation Kol Ami as a spiritual home, successful conversion candidates are expected to join the synagogue as members.
Enrollment Form
Aufruf
When our members or their children are about to wed, either here or elsewhere, we always invite them up to the bimah during a Shabbat service preceding their wedding for special blessings. This is our communal way of celebrating with the happy couple.
A Wedding at Kol Ami
Our sanctuary, as well as Esther’s Garden, are available for weddings for members of the synagogue and their children. If you would like to talk about a wedding here at Kol Ami, please contact the office at info@conkolami.org or 801-484-1501.
Yahrzeit
At Congregation Kol Ami, we read the names for yahrzeits of the loved ones of our members at Shabbat services preceding the actual Yahrzeit date.
If you are visiting with us during the week of a yahrzeits that is important to you, please feel free to say your loved one’s name when called upon during the service.
Yizkor
Yizkor, from the Hebrew prayer-phrase “may God remember the soul of…” is the term that describes the memorial service recited by the congregation on Yom Kippur and Shemini Atzeret as well as on the last day of Passover and on Shavuot. It is a mitzvah to attend these particular services and recite the Yizkor, El Malei Rachamin and Kaddish prayers for one’s deceased relatives. On Yom Kippur each year, we publish a Folio of Memory, with names we wish to remember individually and as a community.
Kol Ami Cemetery Association
Under the ‘umbrella’ of Congregation Kol Ami, the Kol Ami Cemetery Association manage and operate three cemeteries that serve Utah’s diverse Jewish community. The policies of each cemetery reflect the values of the movement of Judaism that founded that cemetery. Jews affiliated with any (or no) movement may choose any one of our three cemeteries as long as they agree to adhere to the specific rules of that cemetery. Learn more about the cemeteries, advanced planning, and what to do when a death occurs at jewishcemeteryutah.org.
