About Us
We are Kol Shalom
From our roots as a small chavurah in the 1980s, Congregation Kol Shalom has evolved into its present form as a congregation affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism, with our own building, a full-time Rabbi, Shabbat services every Saturday, a thriving Religious School, and a calendar full of events from adult education to social action to holiday celebrations. We currently have a membership of about 100 families, couples and individuals of diverse ages, backgrounds and experiences.
Our Mission
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In fulfilling our mission:
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We embrace a rich diversity of families and individuals in our community.
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We are a center for Jewish worship.
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We are a center for religious education.
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We are stewards of Jewish tradition and heritage.
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We exemplify the Jewish values of tikkun olam (healing the world) and gemilut chasadim (deeds of loving kindness) to serve our community and work towards social justice.
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We are a caring community, celebrating in times of joy, providing solace and support in times of sorrow.
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We provide opportunities for spiritual and personal growth and development.
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We nurture and support spiritual, educational, and organizational leadership.
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We meet our challenges with courage and humor, demonstrating flexibility and a commitment to grow and adapt.
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We support the State of Israel.
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We are financially viable.
To be a center for Jewish life, and a vital community for North Kitsap County
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Meet
Our Rabbi
Rabbi Dario Feiguin
Rabbi Darío Feiguin and his wife, Yudi, joined Congregation Kol Shalom in November 2019.
With years of experience building dynamic Jewish communities in Argentina and Costa Rica, Darío and Yudi both bring fresh, exciting perspectives, joyful optimism and profound Jewish soul to our community.
Four months after Rabbi Darío joined Kol Shalom, COVID-19 put the entire congregation in quarantine. Unthwarted, Darío jumped in immediately to become a Zoom technocrat, a creative videographer of music videos, and a Rabbi of virtual services, holidays, B’nai Mitzvah and High Holy Days. With love and unflagging commitment, he keeps our community together in song, prayer, study and celebration.
Our community is blessed to have Rabbi Darío as our spiritual leader and teacher.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1957, Rabbi Darío Feiguin is one of the disciples of Rabbi Marshall T. Meyer z”l, who ordained Rabbi Darío at the Seminario Rabínico Latinoamericano in 1983. Rabbi Darío has a BA in Jewish Thought, Education and Counseling, and a MA in Modern Jewish Philosophy with honors, both titles from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he lived between 1976 and 1983.
Rabbi Darío worked as Rabbi Meyer’s assistant at Comunidad Bet El and as Director of Jewish Studies at Colegio Tarbut. With his wife, Yudi, and nine families he founded Comunidad Amijai, one of the most vibrant congregations in South America. In 2015 he moved to Costa Rica to serve as the Rabbi of Congregation B’nei Israel, the only non-Orthodox and inclusive congregation in the country. Rabbi Darío is also an experienced Cantor and Baal Koreh (Torah chanter), plays guitar and djembe, and loves to sing.
He directed more than fifty summer and winter camps and retreats, and co-directed Viajes de la Diversidad with Yudi, a project of ethnic, cultural and spiritual journeys, including Jewish heritage, to Asia, Africa and Israel. Rabbi Darío has deep experience working with interfaith groups and social action projects, and has published numerous articles in newspapers and magazines in Argentina and Costa Rica.
He was a soccer player and still likes to watch games, and loves to be in contact with nature. Yudi and Darío are proud parents of Adam and Lilach, who live in Argentina.
Meet
our leadership
Our Board
The Board of Directors of Congregation Kol Shalom consists of up to 11 members, who serve three-year terms, elected by the congregation. The Board is responsible for managing the affairs of the congregation and working with the synagogue staff as well as volunteer committees. Open to the public, board meetings generally take place on the second Wednesday of each month.
Frank Commanday
President
2022-2025
Steve Louis
Vice President
2025-2028
Amy Michael
Secretary
2024-2027
Carrie Arndt
Co-Treasurer
2024-2027
Steve Grossman
Co-Treasurer
2025-2028
Ed Arndt
Director
2025-2028
Patty Fielding
Director
2025-2028
Andrea McDuffie
Director
2024-2027
Justin Reichman
Director
2024-2027
President
Frank Commanday
2022-2025
Meet
OUR STAFF
Executive Director
Rebecca Rockefeller
Rebecca is a long-time resident of Bainbridge Island and Kol Shalom member. She brings a variety of creative and administrative talents to our CKS community. Rebecca is a co-founder of The Buy Nothing Project, a little project she started here on Bainbridge with her friend Liesl Clark that has grown to an international movement and independent gift economy platform. Rebecca has many years of experience in the non-profit sector as grantwriter, development manager, executive director, and board member of local nonprofits. Her most valued role is as mother to her college-age daughters, and when she's not texting them, she's busy with her side hustle, making sculptural pottery at a local studio. Rebecca grew up on Bainbridge, and remembers the early days of the chavurah that later became Congregation Kol Shalom, and she is honored to be serving her community in this role.