JRF is thrilled to welcome Kol HaLev as our newest and second Reconstructionist community in Baltimore, Maryland!

Kol HaLev’s roots go back to 2006, when a small group of founders began a dialogue with Geoff Basik, a rabbinical student who was then completing his final year at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. Together, they decided to form a new Reconstrucitonist community around Geoff Basik once he had completed his rabbinical studies.

Kol HaLev began holding regular services in the homes of the founding members and also used space in a function hall at the St. Johns Episcopal Church in Mount Washington.  The first High Holy Day services were held in the fall of 2007 and drew about 100 attendees. Due largely to word of mouth, the congregation has grown from the original 20 founding member households to about 70 households today. As a result, they outgrew the space at St. Johns, and now hold services at Brown Memorial Woodbrook Presbyterian Church in Baltimore.

The composition of the membership has shifted to include more young families, so in 2009, they established a children’s school. They also attract an increasing number of inter-faith families who have seek a synagogue community where they feel comfortable and welcomed. Kol HaLev members have formed new interest groups for “social action,” kabbalah study, and cultural activities, indicating the increasing maturity and activeness of the community.

So please join us in welcoming Kol HaLev Baltimore as the second Reconstructionist community in Baltimore, joining our long-standing affiliate Beit Tikvah (http://www.beittikvah.org/), to the Chesapeake Region and into the Reconstructionist Movement!