Kol Hadash means "New Voice" in Hebrew and our group was organized in 1987 by young parents wanting to raise Jewish children in new ways. Our founders were looking to celebrate cultural Jewish identity without centering beliefs around supernatural forces or expectations about and images of "a god" in charge of the universe.
Current members were raised in every branch of Judaism and come from many parts of the world. We are of mixed religious backgrounds, singles, Holocaust survivors, raised unaffiliated, and those who became Jews by choice. In our rituals and education programs, we emphasize human connections and the concerns of these times with curiosity and compassion.
Honoring tradition with authenticity, learning and growing as humans, sharing meals, laughter and a sense of belonging...these are the values at the heart of Kol Hadash. If you are you seeking a community to share celebrations as well as difficult times? Looking for a place to observe the New Year and Passover? A space within tradition where you don’t have to choose between your intellect and your heart? We're here to welcome you.
It's up to us to lift up humanity and repair the world.
Humanistic Judaism is a nontheistic movement in contemporary Jewish life. This progressive, people-centered, denomination was cultivated by free-thinkers in the 1960's led by Rabbi Sherwin Wine in the suburbs of Detroit. Over time, the Society for Humanistic Judaism was formed, followed by the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism which ordains rabbis. Humanistic Jews call upon reason and science when making meaning. We have a commitment to justice for all beings and use compassion and an ethic of care in our Jewish practices which are always in dialogue with current realities.
Kol Hadash is part of a network of Humanistic and Jewish organizations offering ways to connect tradition and ritual to the generations to come. Find out more by these links.
KOL HADASH
P.O. Box 2777
Berkeley, CA 94702
510-982-1455