About Us
Kula Liba is a home for anyone seeking to deepen their connection to Jewish spirituality. Based in Jerusalem, we gather for Shabbat Tefilot (prayers), song circles, holidays, ceremonies, prayer-parties, retreats, shared meals, Torah Study, weekday Tefilot, and more.
Grounded in the traditions of Tefila, the Hebrew calendar, and Torah study,
we bring the spirit of innovation into Jewish spirituality.
This innovation offers a rich emotional and sensory experience, helping us connect with who we are and what we need in this era. Together on this journey, we cultivate a community where we can fully be ourselves while inviting our hearts to be fully alive.
At Kula Liba, this living expression of Judaism is bound to our deep love for our ancient tradition. This connection between innovation and tradition opens a space of holiness and devotion—for us as Jews today, and for the wider world.
Ancient Jewish spirituality engaged all the senses: colors, scents, tastes, sounds, movements, and touch. After the destruction of the Second Temple and the transition into exile, Jewish tradition became primarily shaped by black letters on white pages. These textual spaces preserved our heritage, but also distanced us from the world of embodied experience.
With the physical return to the Land of Israel, Jewish spirituality also seeks, in the words of the Book of Lamentations, חדש ימינו כקדם, to renew our days as they were in the past. For us, this is a forward movement - התקדמות, a progression, that carries us back to the ancient Jewish spirituality that existed before the exile, קדם. This spiritual renewal is manifested in Kula Liba through prayer, music, rituals, Torah and the liberal values we cherish.
Throughout history, the Jewish tradition has absorbed the wisdom of other nations and cultures. At Kula Liba, in this spirit, we draw inspiration from a variety of traditions. Hindu, Sufi and Middle Eastern traditions, along with those of Central and South America, guide us toward the Sacred we seek to create and share.
This is a bold call for Judaism rooted in the ancient and enriched by the new—Judaism that seeks to be filled with the sanctity of its tradition while also welcoming influences from other traditions which remind us of our own. Kula Liba, an answer to this call, offers a warm home to experience and explore communal, personal, and contemporary Jewish spirituality.
History
Kula Liba was founded in 2016 as "Binyan Devora," inspired by Rabbi Dr. Bonna Devora Haberman z”l, AdirChai’s mother. Bonna was a spiritual leader, activist, Torah scholar, and founder of ״Women of the Wall״. The community initially gathered for Shabbat mornings with yoga, egalitarian-Hasidic Tefila, Torah reading, shared meals, and group study. After AdirChai’s return from studying music in India in 2020, melodies from Indian prayer traditions brought the community fresh spirit and new direction.
In 2023, the community received its new name, Kula Liba, meaning “all of the heart” or “all is heart” in Aramaic. The word Kula carries diverse meanings in over 30 languages—from “family” or “tribe” in Sanskrit to “circle” in Mongolian - concepts we seek to embody in our community.
The name Kula Liba invites us into a space that is home, a space of warmth, comfort and heart.
The name also calls us to be present with our full hearts - comfortable and challenging emotions alike. Who we truly are, in the present moment, is the greatest gift we can offer our community.
Today, Kula Liba is flourishing with a wide variety of events and Tefilot throughout the year, featuring new and exciting melodies and rituals. These gatherings create a safe and inclusive social space for all ages, fostering meaningful connections and vibrant experience.