Voice of My People Foundation &

Congregation Kol Ami's

16th Annual Gala

April 5, 2008

PURIM 2008

This year we will celebrated the joyous holiday of Purim on Thursday, March 20, 2008. This year we were elated to announce that Kol Ami will celebrated Purim at the Kit Kat Club of Shushan with our friends from Beth Chayim Chadashim. To accommodate our combined communities we celebrated Purim at Metropolitan Community Church on Santa Monica Blvd in the heart of West Hollywood.

PURIM 2007

On Saturday, March 3, 2005, Purim was Slippin' and Slidin' all the way to Motown this year! Our production of "Uptown Shushan, Esther in the Big City" was out of sight and in the groove including, of course, Megillah Reading and Purim Schpiel. We danced the night away with the cool "after spiel spinning" of DJ Groovy David.

Kol Ami's Trip to Israel

In February 2005, we traveled to Israel and Jordan on an interfaith trip with members of Metropolitan Community Church Los Angeles.We visited historic sites and met with gay and lesbian leaders in both nations.

Exterior Gallery

7,000 square-feet, 2-story building with cutting-edge design. It includes a sanctuary, offices, meeting rooms, library, meditation garden and a roof-top deck. The Architect is Josh Schweitzer, whose other projects included: Border Grill and Ciudad restaurants.

Interior Gallery

Hebrew art and text are incorporated through out the building. The murals and biblical text in Hebrew circling the walls near the ceiling are based on the 10 aspects of God in the Jewish mystical tradition. They include: love, holiness, commandment, joy, compassion, justice, eternity, blessing, understanding and faith.

Groundbreaking and Dedication

Founded in 1992, Kol-Ami is West Hollywood's ONLY reform synagogue. It's the first predominantly gay & lesbian synagogue in the United States to construct its own building.

The Welcoming of Our Sefir Torah

On October 24th, Congregation Kol Ami dedicated its new Sefir Torah. Culminating the fabulous two-year project, scribe Neil Yerman returned to help donors fill in the final letters of the Scroll. A joyous processional of members and guests marched along La Brea Avenue, carrying the new Torah under the Chupah on its way to the Sanctuary. Amid thanks to the numerous donors and accompanied by music, dance and song, the Torah was dressed in its fine new adornments and placed in its permanent new Temple home.