Congregation Kol Tefillah -- Santa Cruz, Ca

A USCJ-affiliated lay-led Conservative Synagogue

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you" Isaiah 14:10-11  We will prevail

Congregation Kol Tefillah  

USCJ-affiliated lay-led Conservative Synagogue

We are no longer holding services.

Contact Larry at 831-254-7325 or at treasurer@koltefillah.org

if you wish to be updated on future religious events


Highlighted in yellow: Our world class location blocks from the Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk

Our tabernacle by the beach and boardwalk 

Steamer Lane surfing, Santa Cruz Beach, and Boardwalk are a 10 minute walk from the shul 

 Be shomer shabbos at Kol Tefillah...then roll Saturday night

Being shomer shabbos has become hip.  First, it was the famous scene in the 1988 movie The Big Lebowski where Walter Sobchak passionately defended his need to be shomer shabbos. People speculate that he was suffering from PTSD from serving in Viet Nam and found being shomer shabbos healing.

So, when informed that his bowling team game had been moved to a Saturday, he was adamant that 

"I'm shomer shabbos! I don't ***** roll on shabbos"

In the past two years, there has been a growing awareness of burnout from always being "connected" to one's smart phone with its flood of emails and social media posts. 

There is a growing number of pundits advising to "disconnect" for a day and to focus on both going deep -- soul searching -- and going high -- reading "big picture" books. 

Torah study offers both.

A great example of the trend toward "a day a week to disconnect"  is a recent blog post by Erik Torenberg, a venture capitalist based in San Francisco.  He advises, "spend one or two Saturday's a month in device free solitude". 

 Go "solo" he says.  Explore your "inner Thoreau"  "Solitude begets solidarity"

With its location about a 10 minute walk from the Santa Cruz beach and boardwalk, Congregation Kol Tefillah offers a world class experience to "spend a whole day away from devices", to pray and reflect.

After shul, walk along the ocean, and then when the sun sets, do Havdalah and sing "Eliyahu Hanavi" 

Then walk down to the Boardwalk Bowling Alley, be the Big Lebowski dude, roll and have a White Russian, and, with a h/t to Hashem, just celebrate being alive.