Welcome to a brief recap of the key themes and takeaways from our January 15, 2026 Kulanu Community of Practice gathering.
We began by formally naming our CoP “Kulanu.” The word means “all of us,” and it reflects our shared aspiration: that everyone can be engaged in whatever way is meaningful to them individually. We framed Kulanu as a Community of Practice, or chavurah, for ba’alei tefillah and engaged congregants. The model is horizontal rather than top-down. Think Limmud-style learning rather than formal instruction.
Flexibility and low pressure were important themes. People can step in and step back as needed. The goal is to build something sustaining, useful, and joyful — rooted in mutual chizzuk, skill-sharing, curiosity, and respect for different comfort levels and experience.
During our conversation, participants shared what draws them to Kulanu. Some are eager to learn more tunes and niggunim. Others want to gain confidence in leading, deepen their understanding of the structure and meaning of the service, or better transmit meaning beyond the Hebrew liturgy. There is interest in learning more about minhagim, sharing strategies for congregational engagement, cultivating a dynamic musical culture, and creating a safe space to try new things — including leading services for the first time.
Beyond our own development, we named a broader aim: strengthening participatory tefillah by cultivating participation itself. When service leaders grow in confidence and clarity, the congregation often follows.
We closed the gathering by modeling Kulanu-style learning through a brief exploration of Hallel. It was most apropriate to have our first gathering centre on celebration through Hallel. We approached it through personal reflection, leadership strategy, and musical considerations. One takeaway that stood out for me was the recurring theme of framing: how short, thoughtful introductions to parts of the service can help congregants connect more meaningfully. That is something we will likely return to in future sessions.
As promised the the group members, here are a couple of Hallel-related resources we did not have time to explore together:
- A short BimBam video on Hallel: https://youtu.be/Cyqm6tYyQoU
- Hadar’s Hallel resource on Sefaria: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/270745?lang=bi
More to come as Kulanu continues to evolve.