Temple Kol Ami

Congregation History

Beginnings
The Reform congregation was founded in Spring 2010 after more than fifty years of no formal Jewish religious community.¹ Jonathan Shaw and Jonathan Cohen were part of the team that organized the congregation after they told the local community that they were considering putting together a havurah or a minyan. Expecting a small turnout of 30 potential members, they were surprised to hear that over 90 families were interested in services. Prior to the establishment  of Kol Ami, families had to drive over 45 minutes to attend services in North Carolina. The name Kol Ami was chosen in part because it means “All My People.”

On June 4, 2010, 170 individuals joined Cohen and Shaw to celebrate Kol Ami’s first Shabbat. While there was no official synagogue, the congregation began meeting in St. Philip Neri Catholic Church and has since relocated to the Philadelphia United Methodist Church. The synagogue has a flourishing religious school of around 40 students that meets weekly on Sundays.² The first Torah scroll was donated in September 2011 by Temple Beth Israel in Niagara Falls, New York, after they disbanded. The congregation obtained their second Torah scroll in 2020.³

In January 2017, Kol Ami hired Rabbi Ana Bonnheim to lead their congregation. Rabbi Bonnheim leads Kabbalat Shabbat services and the occasional Saturday service. She also helps with life cycle events like b’nei mitzvah, weddings, funerals, and more. Rabbi Bruce Aft joined Kol Ami as an associate Rabbi in 2018. He also works as a consultant and helps conduct the High Holiday services.⁴

Endnotes

1. Jonathan Cohen, “A New Beginning: Fort Mill’s Temple Kol Ami,” The Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina, Fall 2010.
2. “Temple Kol Ami Religious School,” accessed December 11, 2023, https://sites.google.com/view/tka-religiousschool/home; “Temple Kol Ami | Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte,” accessed December 11, 2023, https://www.jewishcharlotte.org/charlotte-jewish-community-directory/temple-kol-ami.
3. “Temple Kol Ami,” Templekolamisc.Org (blog), accessed December 11, 2023, https://www.templekolamisc.org/.
4. “Temple Kol Ami.”

Jonathan Cohen. “A New Beginning: Fort Mill’s Temple Kol Ami.” The Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina, Fall 2010.

“Temple Kol Ami | Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte.” Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.jewishcharlotte.org/charlotte-jewish-community-directory/temple-kol-ami.

“Temple Kol Ami Religious School.” Accessed December 11, 2023. https://sites.google.com/view/tka-religiousschool/home.

templekolamisc.org. “Temple Kol Ami.” Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.templekolamisc.org/.