Jewish faithful will dedicate a new synagogue on Miller Road.

The theme of displacement and a quest for home have been central to the Jewish experience, from the 40 years in the wilderness to the diaspora under Babylonian rule.

So the establishment of a new synagogue is, as their rabbi observes, “an historic moment in the history of Judaism on Bainbridge Island.”

In a ceremony Sunday, Congregation Kol Shalom members will carry the Torah, or sacred texts, from Winslow to a newly acquired property on Miller Road. Formal services commence there next weekend, and the building will be consecrated as the island’s first-ever synagogue in September.

“We used to joke that we were ‘the wandering Jews of Bainbridge Island,’” said Janet Pauli, vice president of the congregation board, who has observed the Jewish faith here for nearly three decades. “The Jewish kids would complain that their friends had churches, but they didn’t have any place that was theirs.”

Congregation Kol Shalom was formed about eight years ago, when members split off amicably from Congregation Shir Hayam over doctrinal differences.

The newer group is aligned with the Union of Reform Judaism and is “a liberal, egalitarian congregation,” board president Art Mann said.

Kol Shalom boasts a large number of interfaith families, and is “a hugely diverse congregation in terms of practice,” Rabbi Mark Glickman said.

Judaism has been practiced formally on the island since about 1978, Pauli said, with services at one time held in the Grange Hall on North Madison. Congregants were a loose-knit bunch, to the point that some islanders were apparently surprised to find Jewish faithful practicing in their midst.

“My maiden name was Levy, so I stood out a bit,” Pauli said. “People used to say to me, ‘Are you the only Jew on the island?’”

While many island faithful simply went elsewhere for services, those who worshipped here slowly built up numbers until the congregations divided.

Lacking a home of its own, the newer Congregation Kol Shalom met at an array of sites, including Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church, and held religious classes at the Island School on Day Road.

More recently, the congregation leased space at a commercial building south of Winslow Way, a one-time residence at the far end of the Bistro Pleasant Beach parking lot.

But the building was outgrown almost from the outset, prompting the congregation to seek larger and more permanent accommodations elsewhere.

A chance for permanence came this past January, when the congregation became aware that local garden guru Ann Lovejoy had put her Miller Road property on the market.

In addition to a 1940s vintage home, the shy acre offered a 2,700-square-foot outbuilding known as the Sequoia Center, which had been used for dance and exercise classes.

The congregation hadn’t done any fund-raising, but Mann and Pauli were among congregants who looked at the building to assess its potential.

“It was like, ‘This would be nice,’” Mann said, to which Pauli rejoined, “It was more like, ‘This would be perfect!’”

“We knew it wasn’t going to stay on the market for long,” Pauli added.

A congregational meeting was called, and 22 families pledged $100,000 up front.

“I remember looking at a slip of paper (with a pledge) and saying, ‘Wow, there’s three zeroes after this number,’” Mann said.

Before long, every family in the congregation made a contribution, and the purchase closed at the end of May.

“That’s unprecedented in the history of the Jewish people,” Glickman said. “We almost pride ourselves on diverse opinions. To have such participation was particularly exciting.”

Volunteers now are renovating both house and building to suit the congregation’s needs. A perk is the lush greenery that swaths the grounds, courtesy of its previous owner.

“We’re inheriting some beautiful gardens, too,” Pauli said. “Ann really gave us something to care for and nurture.”

The congregation’s growth – from 63 families two years ago to 78 now – has allowed it to hire Glickman as part-time rabbi instead of relying on lay readers.

Having the building is not an end in and of itself, the rabbi said, but it will serve as a place for gathering, prayer and worship and the study of sacred texts.

Members also say having a fixed address will raise the congregation’s profile.

“I think it’s really important for the broader community to have diversity of visible (faith) groups,” Pauli said.

“People can learn about Judaism and its traditions.”

The site is central for all islanders as well as families who come to worship from North Kitsap and elsewhere, attracted by the smallish congregation.

“Instead of being a little fish in a big pool, they want to be part of a community where they can make a difference,” Mann said. “We’re becoming a draw.”

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A liberal denomination

Reform Judaism affirms the central tenets of Judaism – God, Torah and Israel – even as it acknowledges a diversity of beliefs and practices, according to literature from the Union of Reform Judaism.

The faith holds that “all human beings are created in the image of God, and that we are God’s partners in improving the world. Tikkun olam – repairing the world – is a hallmark of Reform Judaism as we strive to bring peace, freedom, and justice to all people.”

Believing that Judaism must change and adapt to the needs of the day, the faith also embraces interfaith families and; is committed to the absolute equality of women in all areas of Jewish life. It was the first movement to ordain women rabbis, invest women cantors and elect women president of synagogues. Reform Judaism encourages the full participation of gays and lesbians in synagogue life as well as society at large.