Kehillat Israel Podcasts

OUR MISSION

Kehillat Israel is an inclusive Jewish community, which honors diverse religious and spiritual backgrounds. Grounded in Jewish cultural and religious tradition, and guided by the core Reconstructionist principle to value both the wisdom of the past and the need for evolving belief and practice, KI seeks through prayer, learning and Tikkun Olam to create a sacred space in which its members of all ages may find meaning, purpose and joy. You can find out more about is at our web site www.ourki.org.

OUR VALUES

As a community, our core values are grounded in the 3000-year-old constantly evolving Jewish tradition. We believe that:
• We are all made in the image of the Divine and must treat each other with respect regardless of our differences.
• Since we are part of the broader human family, we must be guided by our responsibilities to each other, our community, our country and people all over the world.
• We are stewards of the earth and must nurture and protect it.
• We have a strong commitment to our children and to a vibrant Jewish future.
• We recognize that there are many ways to live life “Jewishly,” not just one way.
• Learning and spiritual development are vital continuing imperatives, which both challenge and enrich our lives. In their pursuit, our tradition values questioning and exploration.
• Jewish civilization, spirituality and observance should draw on the wisdom of the past and must evolve to be meaningful in our lives today.
• As a loving and inclusive community, we warmly welcome interfaith and non-traditional families, as well as Jews from a wide variety of religious and secular backgrounds and beliefs, and no one is turned away solely on the basis of ability to pay.

OUR HISTORY

In 1950 a small group of young Jewish people in Pacific Palisades were seeking a community with their fellow Jews and lovingly planted the first seed that would blossom and grow into Kehillat Israel.

Under the spiritual leadership of Rabbi Abraham Winokur z”l, our founding rabbi, KI was first called “The Jewish Community of Pacific Palisades,” then “Congregation of Pacific Palisades (JCPP)” , “Kehillath Israel” and finally “Kehillat Israel” in keeping with the modern Hebrew pronunciation.

By the time Kehillat Israel reached nearly 400 families over 15 years ago, we had outgrown our old facility and the community responded by building our new, beautiful synagogue, facility which was dedicated on October 26, 1997. Since that time, we have more than doubled to over 1,000 diverse households representing all walks of life and a wide variety of Jewish and non-Jewish backgrounds.

Through it all we have strived to maintain that same atmosphere of warmth, caring and community that inspired those early members to create the KI we love.