Temple Israel will soon begin holding its services and events at Kehilath Israel Synagogue. The boards of directors of both congregations came to terms on a one-year deal earlier this week. The Reform congregation will hold its first service at K.I. in Overland Park on Aug. 30.
K.I. boasts a membership of approximately 500 families, while T.I. is much smaller at 90 families.
For the past two years T.I. was based at Congregation Ohev Sholom in Prairie Village. During its first few months of existence, Shabbat services and the congregation’s first Passover seder were held at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Overland Park.
“We were looking for a location that was closer to most of our members, a place with more opportunity for growth and a better environment to welcome new members,” explained Temple Israel President Ty Hampshire. “Several years ago K.I. had approached us about space in their building. We contacted them to see if they still had an interest in renting to us.”
K.I. President Steve Osman said the congregation is very pleased to be a community resource and help other congregations in the community when necessary. He believes the K.I. building is beautiful and is happy members of T.I. will be able to enjoy it.
The majority of T.I. programs will take place in the Brown Pavilion. Upon availability T.I. may use K.I.’s chapel or the sanctuary. The office of T.I. Rabbi Jacques Cukierkorn will be located in the school wing.
K.I. Interim Rabbi Jeffrey Shron said K.I. “is pleased that we are able to provide a meaningful space for Temple Israel to hold their services and educate their children, and we look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship.”
Rabbi Cukierkorn is looking forward to forging a wonderful relationship with K.I., “and cooperating in the areas that we can.”
One of those areas is religious school, where students from the two congregations are expected to begin each Sunday together with a bagel breakfast and will join together in many joint school activities. Enrollment for the next school year is not complete yet, but K.I. expects 15 to 20 children to be enrolled in its school. (Many of its members attend the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy and do not attend supplementary religious school.) T.I. generally has 12 to 15 students enrolled in its religious school.
T.I. students, however, are not expected to participate in K.I.’s midweek Hebrew program.
Rabbi Cukierkorn said T.I. takes pride in its family learning days and hopes K.I. members will choose to participate in them. He also believes the two congregations will plan some joint adult education opportunities as well as dinners.
While joint activities are being planned, T.I’s board President Hampshire emphasizes that the congregations are not merging.
“We are simply renting space from them where we can conduct our services,” he said. “While we are there in that space, we are still a Reform congregation.”
However, since K.I. is a Traditional congregation, Osman pointed out that should T.I. plan any programs on site involving food, the agreement states that T.I. will follow all of K.I.’s kosher dietary laws.
Ohev searching for new tenant