Kol Zimrah (

transliterated Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one writing system, script to another that involves swapping Letter (alphabet), letters (thus ''wikt:trans-#Prefix, trans-'' + ''wikt:littera#Latin, liter-'') in predictable ways, such as ...

from

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

as "Voice of Song") is an unaffiliated

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

congregation, also called an independent ''minyan'' or ''

chavurah A ''chavurah'' or ''havurah'' ( : ''(c)havurahs'' or ''(c)havurot'' or ''(c)havuroth'') is a small group of like-minded Jews who assemble to facilitate Shabbat and holiday prayer services and share communal experiences such as life-cycle events ...

'', that is based on the

Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper We ...

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, in

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, United States.

Overview

Founded in 2002, the congregation's

motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...

is "meaningful prayer through music". It does not identify itself with any of the established

Jewish religious movements Jewish religious movements, sometimes called " denominations", include diverse groups within Judaism which have developed among Jews from ancient times. Samaritans are also considered ethnic Jews by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, although they a ...

, and has a style of prayer that does not fit neatly into the styles associated with any of them. The congregation met regularly for Friday night services which combined

Hebrew language Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and remained in regular use as a first language unti ...

liturgy with musical instruments and singing. Like other ''chavurot'', Kol Zimrah had no

rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

or other professional leadership, and was run completely by volunteers. It used a "two-table" system at its

potluck A potluck is a communal gathering where each guest or group contributes a different, often homemade, dish of food to be shared. Other names for a "potluck" include: potluck dinner, pitch-in, shared lunch, spread, faith supper, carry-in dinner, c ...

dinners (one table with vegetarian food, and one table with vegetarian food in which all ingredients have kashrut certification) in order to accommodate different standards of

kashrut (also or , ) is a set of Food and drink prohibitions, dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to halakha, Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed ko ...

in a pluralistic community. Kol Zimrah had a "sibling" relationship with Tikkun Leil Shabbat in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, one of the few other congregations that has services in the same style (musical instruments and the traditional structure of the liturgy). Kol Zimrah ceased activities after 2014.Kol Zimrah website
, 2014: "Kol Zimrah is currently not holding regular services."

References

External links

* * 2002 establishments in New York City Chavurot Independent minyanim Jewish organizations established in 2002 Synagogues in Manhattan Unaffiliated synagogues in New York City Upper West Side {{Manhattan-struct-stub