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
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.
President
Frank Commanday
2022-2025
Frank Commanday grew up in the Los Angeles area, attending Hebrew and religious school after public school, and shipping off to Jewish summer camps. His parents met in Israel in 1948 as American volunteers (“Machalniks”). Frank, at age 15, travelled to Israel on a 9-week trip with other teenagers. He spent a summer as a volunteer at Kibbutz Ein HaMifratz. Graduating high school, he returned to Israel to join the Ulpan language program at Kibbutz Na’an. Altogether, these experiences provided the groundwork for an evolving love and engagement in Jewish life and Israel. He pursued a biological science degree at UC San Diego and UC Santa Cruz, and a graduate degree in microbiology at UC Davis.
In Portland, Frank began a career in craft brewing and was an active member of Temple Sha’arie Torah and Chavurah Shalom. After living in San Francisco and Los Angeles, making beer and kombucha, Frank and his wife, Kathryn, returned to PNW in 2018 to settle on Bainbridge Island. Frank commutes daily to Seattle to make hard seltzer, and is delighted to participate in the Kol Shalom community, applying practical, musical, and Hebrew skills as needed.
Julie and her family moved to Bainbridge Island from Seattle in 2020, and joined CKS in 2021. A former lawyer, she works on transportation infrastructure funding for a local government. She is honored to be supporting our region's Jewish community through serving on the CKS board.
Vice President
Julie Wilchins
2022-2024
Secretary
Amy Michael
Bainbridge Island has been Amy’s home since 2005, when she moved from Minnesota with her spouse and young daughter, at the time desiring a return to the familiar Pacific Northwest region where she and her husband both grew up. Shortly after moving to Bainbridge, they became members of Congregation Kol Shalom, whose members and leadership have, since then, lovingly supported them through various life events, including the addition of two more children, a handful of harrowing medical crises, as well as the joyous Bat and Bar Mitzvahs of their oldest two children. As someone who did not grow up Jewish, Amy is grateful for the loving embrace, patience, and steadfast support of CKS and is excited to give back to its community. Professionally, she is an attorney who does editing work and assists organizations that advance Native American tribal treaty rights. She also volunteers at her kids' schools and helps with their various activities, at one time serving on the board of the Bainbridge Island Swim Club. When she has free time, she enjoys running and reading—separately, though, not together!
2021-2024
Immediate Past President
Lori Weise
Lori is a Southern California native who enthusiastically relocated to Bainbridge Island with her husband Steve in December 2018 to be closer to their children and grandchildren in the Pacific Northwest. Lori was raised in a conservative synagogue, Beth Shalom in Whittier, California where her parents, Bert and Libby were active volunteers and Rabbi Joseph Smith was their neighbor. Bert regularly brought his tool bag to provide maintenance at the Synagogue while his children were in Hebrew School. Lori and her husband Steve and children were active at Beth Hillel in Studio City and Adat Ari El in North Hollywood. Lori worked in a variety of leadership positions in healthcare strategic, forecasting and business planning for 38+ years including 20 years at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles serving as Vice President, Strategic Planning and Business Development. She and Steve enjoy running, cooking and travel. Lori is particularly enjoying spending more time hiking, playing pickleball and sampling the wonderful community of Bainbridge Island. She serves on the Finance Committee of the Bainbridge Island Land Foundation and provides pro bono consulting services for non- profit organizations through the Seattle based 501 Commons.
2018-2024
Director
Rachel Cornette
2022-2025
Rachel Cornette grew up in Houston and left to serve in the Navy as a hospital corpsman. In boot camp, she became reengaged with her Judaism and later served as a Jewish Welfare Board appointed lay leader at multiple duty stations, as there are rarely rabbinic chaplains available to lead services. Later she became a vocalist for the Navy’s music program. She met her husband, Chris, at music school and eventually separated from active duty to pursue college and care for their two sons while he continued to serve. With both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Recreation Management, Rachel professionally and personally enjoys planning programs as well as coordinating opportunities for people to connect to themselves, others, and the great outdoors. Rachel has belonged to several congregations throughout the years and has enjoyed singing, serving on boards and committees, leading Tot Shabbat and teaching religious school. In 2018, after 16 moves in 3 decades, Rachel and family moved to Poulsbo. They plan on putting down roots here and she is thrilled to be able to marry her love of public service with her love of Judaism as a board member for Congregation Kol Shalom.
Director
Jonathan Liffgens
2018-2023
Jonathan and his wife Elaine arrived on Bainbridge Island in 2015 along with their two daughters, Maya and Serena. Jonathan spent his early years in the rural community of Woodstock, NY, in the Catskills, where he acquired a taste for the natural world as well as outdoor activities such as skiing, hiking, spelunking and bicycling. He fulfilled a dream in 1981 when, after graduating college, he crossed the continental United States on his bicycle. Jonathan lived in Boston, Miami and Pittsburgh before eventually moving to Chicago to earn a Master of Architecture degree at the University of Illinois. He met Elaine, also a design professional, while working at the same architecture firm in Chicago and they were married shortly thereafter at the Spanish Synagogue in Prague. He practiced in Chicago primarily as a project architect on institutional healthcare and bio-medical research projects before establishing a solo practice as a residential and commercial architect. He and Elaine enjoy sailing, scuba-diving and world travel. Jonathan is an accomplished amateur photographer and has contributed his images to several journals, publications and exhibitions. He and Elaine joined Congregation Kol Shalom in 2016 and are both looking forward to serving the Bainbridge Island community in general and the CKS community in particular.
Karen has lived on Bainbridge since 1984, living, working and raising a son (with husband John) in the Pacific Northwest ever since relocating here from Wisconsin. She grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, where she was Bat Mitzvahed and Confirmed at Congregation Kenesseth Israel (KI). She has volunteered with numerous organizations and Boards on Bainbridge, and currently serves on the Board of Bainbridge Youth Services (BYS). She is self-employed as an employment and business attorney on the Island, working to help right wrongs. Karen serves as chair of the Social Justice Committee at CKS.
Director
Karen Klein
2021-2024
Irv is a retired business executive who spent 40 years in the minerals exploration, civil construction, and information management businesses. He spends his time visiting his family, sailing, camping, exploring new places with his wife and substitute teaching at BISD.
Treasurer
Irv Alpert
2022-2025
Meet
OUR STAFF
Temple Administrator
Therese Kunzi-Clark
Therese is a long-time resident of Bainbridge Island and brings a variety of creative and administrative talents to our passion to our CKS community. Born and raised in a small village in Switzerland, Therese is a founding and active member of the Winslow Co-Housing community. She is also the co-founder of the much beloved Odyssey Multi-age public school. Therese has many years of program management experience in both the education and non-profit sectors. She is passionate about her art where she focuses on photography. She holds a Diploma in Photography from the School of Arts and Crafts in Bern, Switzerland, a Bachelors of Fine Arts from San Francisco Art Institute, and a Masters of Education from Lesley College in Cambridge, MA.