During the course of my career at Valley Torah, I have seen many, many initiatives from our students emerge and fade away; however, Kol Kehillah is vastly distinct from all the others in that its idea has developed into an organization that not only improves our intellectual but also communal culture through a variety of projects and activities it implements, while expanding beyond our walls into the greater community.

The most beautiful and distinct feature of Kol Kehillah that it has shown so far is its readiness to delve into a discussion of various perspectives and worldviews, which exist outside of the modern-Orthodox Jewish circle we live in Los Angeles. While there are almost 4 million people in the city and almost 10 million people in the county, Kol Kehillah never views various denominations and religions as obstacles that prevent a good and intelligent conversation between people. Quite the opposite: they use them to bridge the gaps between those people whose backgrounds are different. For example, Kol Kehillah’s podcast, The Howl, hosted Rabbi David Wolpe, who is one of the most influential Conservative rabbis of today’s generation. 

This open-mindedness is not restricted to religious discussions. They have conducted interviews with Steven Eugene Kuhn, a Middle East analyst, who provided students and listeners of Kol Kehillah with a chance to discuss Israel and the Middle East and its complicated problems. It is not a project that one would expect high school students to conduct on their own, yet Kol Kehillah has proven its ability to look for competent people and pose tough questions to them to provide their audience with an interesting discussion and an opportunity to listen to different viewpoints.

Perhaps more famously, Kol Kehillah’s weekly newsletter, The Weekly Post, has become an indispensable addition to community readership. As a reader myself, I can confirm that Kol Kehillah’s ability to address Torah-related topics in a respectful manner while keeping it accessible makes the newsletter thoughtful, engaging and enjoyable to read. Contrary to repeating familiar notions regarding the weekly parasha, the Kol Kehillah newsletter provides a fresh opportunity for its readers to think about its place in the modern world.

Still, Kol Kehillah does not only focus on intellectual pursuits. After all, Kol Kehillah translates to “Voice of the Community.” It should therefore come as no surprise that Kol Kehillah’s blood drives have greatly impacted our community and, more importantly, the patients who will recieve the pints of donated blood. I witnessed firsthand how Valley Torah students participated in these drives along with parents, neighbors and members of the larger community. These gatherings of people who normally would not communicate got together in order to reach a common goal is exactly what Kol Kehillah seeks to enact. 

While not forcing people to choose between intellectual activity and practical responsibility, Kol Kehillah has made it possible to combine them. One week, this organization can conduct a discussion of a difficult Jewish text, another week – interviewing a national rabbi or Middle East analyst, and the next one – organizing a blood drive. 

Lastly, the way in which Kol Kehillah involves other students in its activities and events is truly marvelous. Kol Kehillah has provided opportunities for students to get involved in whatever it is that they are interested in, such as research, fact-checking, outreach, distribution, or community programming. In this way, it has proven that students do not need to wait until they become adults to be serious participants in Jewish communal life.

These are the main components of Kol Kehillah, though there are many other ways in which Kol Kehillah impacts the Los Angeles community.