New rabbi brings energy to Salt Lake Jewish congregation
12/17/2018 01:08:09 PM
Silhouettes of dozens of college students preparing for Shabbat services filled the area as the sun set over the Congregation Kol Ami gardens in late August.
Despite the event’s proximity to the beginning of the school year, this was the largest amount of students Hillel for Utah Executive Director Dana Tumpowsky said she recalls seeing at any Friday night service.
Congregation Kol Ami is a Jewish synagogue in Salt Lake City that opened in 1973. In 2018, the congregation welcomed a new rabbi — Rabbi Samuel Spector. According to members of Congregation Kol Ami, Spector brought a new energy to the community.
Run, Hide, Fight': A Utah Jewish synagogue trains to face an active shooter after the deadliest assault on Jews in U.S. history
12/05/2018 09:43:40 AM
SALT LAKE CITY — On a chilly Wednesday evening in late November, over 60 people gathered in the sanctuary of Congregation Kol Ami, Utah’s largest Jewish synagogue.
It seemed like any other night at the synagogue, with congregants exchanging warm greetings and admiring the large, nine-branched silver menorah perched on the altar, shined to a sparkle in anticipation of the upcoming Hanukkah holiday, which began on Dec. 2.
But as the congregants’ chatter hushed to begin the night’s agenda, they were faced with an unfamiliar sight — one that seemed completely out of place in the warm, light-filled sanctuary.
Before them stood not a rabbi in front of a prayer book, but two armed police officers in front of a PowerPoint screen, the words “RUN, HIDE, FIGHT!” splashed in bold black letters across the first slide.
Why faith leaders in Utah believe gratitude matters
11/15/2018 10:00:59 PM
One year ago, Rabbi Spector was in Los Angeles. His synagogue was dealing with budget cuts. Job security wasn't certain and honestly, he was "sad and scared."
Vigil at local synagogue commemorates victims of Pittsburgh shooting
11/02/2018 10:00:24 PM
Salt Lake City's Congregation Kol Ami synagogue held a candlelight vigil Oct. 30 to commemorate the 11 victims of the Oct. 27 shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh allegedly by a man who shouted anti-Semitic slurs. Among the hundreds who gathered were numerous faith leaders, including Rabbi Sam Spector of the synagogue; Father John Evans, pastor of St. Thomas More Parish, who was representing the Most Rev. Oscar A. Solis, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City; the Right Rev. Scott B. Hayashi, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Utah; Imam Amir Salihovic of the Islamic Bosnian Mosque; and Randy D. Funk, a member of the General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In a tweet, Bishop Solis wrote, "The Diocese of Salt Lake City strongly denounces the inhuman act of violence at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. Prayers for those killed, injured, families & members of the Jewish community during this time of grief. May God's love conquer hate & peace prevail."
Salt Lake City Jewish community members call for love and kindness in wake of Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
10/30/2018 10:00:58 PM
As a Muslim youth choir sang and leaders from more than a dozen faith organizations lit candles, members of the Jewish community in Salt Lake City called for love and kindness Tuesday in the face of anti-Semitic violence.
“We will not stop fighting for others,” Rabbi Samuel L. Spector told hundreds of mourners gathered at Congregation Kol Ami for a vigil in remembrance of 11 people killed in a shooting Saturday at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. “Those that have tried to eliminate us are no longer here, but we still are.”
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