“A community of joy, creativity, daring innovation and risk-taking; a spiritually open and loving community, a commitment to a life of purpose with Jewish wisdom and values as the guide.”

This was a vision and hope for Kol Ami articulated by Shira more than 36 years ago – though it aptly describes the home David and Shira created together. David and Shira have nourished our community with song, with learning, with celebration, but most of all by living the Jewish world they believe in.

Author, social justice activist, professor and Jewish organizational leader, David has worked internationally as a civil society trainer and a peace activist.  He has authored A Sacred Journey, Faith Nationalism and the Future of Liberal Democracy as well as many scholarly and popular articles. After many years at NYU, David now proudly teaches as part of Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison, providing college programs for incarcerated individuals. At Kol Ami, David has taught Torah and played music, cooked for multitudes and helped set up the Food Pantry program that fed hundreds each week during the pandemic. 

Shira has helped create the Kol Ami community to whom she is thrilled to belong. That two thousand people were mobilized in little more than 12 hours following the tragic shooting in Pittsburgh, filling Kol Ami’s sanctuary with courage and hope and song, led by forty members of the White Plains interfaith community and representatives from local, county and state government is a testament to the work Shira has done these many decades. She has led and taught with courage on a wide range of issues: the Yom Kippur pulpit of Kol Ami has welcomed the Parents Circle of Bereaved Israelis and Palestinians – and has been a launch for AA and Al-Anon.  The prayer book she imagined and edited with members of the congregation transformed worship at Kol Ami and helped influence the sea change in joyful and spiritual prayer across the Reform Movement.