Kol Shalom is a Conservative synagogue in Montgomery County, Maryland, established in 2001. We are an egalitarian congregation rooted in traditional Jewish religious observance and dedicated to vibrant Jewish life. Our community strives for spiritual growth through prayer, Torah study, and through the observance of mitzvot.
We are deeply committed to Jewish education at every stage of life. The Kol Shalom Talmud Torah and Hebrew High School offer children of congregants robust and creative education from kindergarten through high school. Families with younger children are welcome to enroll in Gan Kol Shalom, our highly regarded pre-school program.
Rabbi Salomon Gruenwald and Hazzan Sally Heckelman are Kol Shalom’s spiritual leaders.
Our members come from Montgomery County and beyond and are drawn to Kol Shalom for its diverse creativity, and its love of music.
We are young and old, single and married. We are a participatory congregation, and we invite and welcome members to lead services, read Torah, and give Divrei Torah. No matter our background or individual lifestyle, we are a community of people who come together on Shabbatot and Chagim in joyful celebration and song and in times of need offering support and friendship.
As an egalitarian congregation, we welcome members with diverse needs and interests and benefit from the expertise and talent of our congregants. We warmly welcome the non-Jewish spouses or life partners of our Jewish members to become members of our congregation.
We recognize the State of Israel as the homeland for the Jewish people and we support Israel to ensure its continued survival, prosperity, and moral character. Kol Shalom supports the Masorti movement and participates in its discussions that center on bridging traditional Jewish law with contemporary societal values.
We affirm the Torah as the source of law and teaching for the Jewish people and commit to the study of Torah as a guide for thought and action. We value the mitzvot (commandments) and strive to act in accordance with mitzvot in our daily lives.
We strive to make avodah (worship) meaningful through traditional texts, song and melody, private thought, and connection with the world’s beauty.
We strive to demonstrate our commitment to Torah and prayer through actions to help the poor, the sick, and the unfortunate. We perform g’milut hasadim (acts of kindness) through social and political action, direct service to those in need, and financial support.