Welcome to Kehilat Orach Eliezer (KOE), a uniquely spiritual, halachic, intellectual and sociable community. The beautiful davening, the commitment to chesed, the sensitivity to gender issues, the opportunities for learning and the warm, friendly atmosphere have created a community that appeals to people from a wide variety of religious backgrounds and practices.

Much more than a place to daven on Shabbat morning, KOE is a vibrant community that strives to make everyone feel a part. Our hachnasat orchim (hospitality) program provides an opportunity for anyone to participate in a Shabbat meal with someone from the minyan or to fulfill the mitzvah of hosting someone in their home.

We help each other grow in Torah and intellectually through events and shiurim organized by our Learning Committee. Our Life Cycle Committee helps the parents of new-born children, and, when needed and desired, mourners. We also extend our reach to others through various Chesed activities, including a weekly volunteer slot at a neighborhood homeless shelter, semi-annual blood drives and occasional one time events.

KOE has remained committed to searching out and incorporating opportunities for women's involvement in communal life within a halachic framework. Recent changes include having a woman gabbait at the Torah reading table both to correct mistakes and say misheberachot, having women do hagba and gelilah, having a woman lead Anim Zemirot and the Shir Shel Yom. We are currently learning the sources and halachot for other possible changes.

Our founding religious leader, a world renowned scholar, has made aliyah and is living in Jerusalem. His leaving created an opportunity, a chance to grow. Based on community input, we created a process in some ways different than a traditional rabbinic search process, and used it to find and hire our Rosh Kehilah, Dina Najman. She started at KOE in September 2006 and we are very excited to be working with her.