Kol HaLev Vision, Values and Mission Statements

The Kol HaLev Vision

A sacred Jewish community that celebrates the Divine, builds meaningful human connections and repairs the world.

The Kol HaLev Values

A learning community spanning and bridging generations
A participatory egalitarian community committed to open and democratic decision making grounded in Jewish traditions and contemporary perspectives
A welcoming community embracing a diversity of life experiences and Jewish journeys
A warm, caring community nurturing connection and support among its members
A vibrant spiritual community celebrating and cultivating self expression and holiness in the rhythms of Jewish life
An involved community dedicated to Israel, Reconstructionist Judaism and repairing the world

The Kol HaLev Mission

Kol HaLev is a vibrant Reconstructionist Jewish community dedicated to the continuity and evolution of our people and tradition.
We are a welcoming community that embraces a diversity of life experiences and Jewish journeys and fosters connections, communication and support among our members.
We are a spiritual community celebrating and cultivating self-expression and holiness in the rhythms of Jewish life through thoughtful rituals, meaningful religious services and joyful celebrations.
We are a learning community providing creative and engaging Jewish educational experiences encompassing youth, adult and intergenerational programming.
We are an involved and caring community, serving the needs of both our members and broader society, dedicated to Israel, Reconstructionist Judaism, and repairing the world (tikkun olam).
We are a fiscally responsible and participatory community, sustained by our members’ financial commitments, voluntary efforts and involvement in our open, democratic decision-making process.

Adopted by the membership on June 3, 2007

How these statements were developed

Although we are a community that believes values are important, we had never developed a membership-endorsed statement of our values. vision and mission. Our Board saw our B'nai Mitzvah year of 2006-7 as an ideal time to move toward "official" statements and used its annual Retreat in November for that purpose.

A subcommittee reviewed our past values statements, wove them together to create a defining set of values for Kol HaLev and sent them to all who would be attending the meeting. With this freshly redacted statement as a starting point and guide, the Board, plus members drawn from all segments of our community, met. In an invigorating, structured, day-long process this group drafted a statement of vision and mission for members to consider.

This draft statement was published on our website, presented to our community in meetings, approved by our Board of Trustees in April 2007, and adopted by our membership at our Annual Meeting on June 3, 2007.