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Congregation Kol Shalom has a new logo which you can find represented elsewhere on this page. It will appear very soon on Synagogue stationery, in the Shofar and at our website. Special thanks to synagogue member Gwyn Walcoff for spearheading this project and carrying it through to its stunning conclusion. There is much symbolism in the logo which appropriately reflects themes and meaning that can be easily associated with Congregation Kol Shalom. Here are a few examples: One of the clearest images first noticed when looking at the logo is a tree. The setting of our synagogue building, in the midst of so many beautiful trees, is apparent both while walking into the synagogue from outdoors and while praying inside. The Hebrew term for tree, Etz, is recognized in the term, Etz Hayim, tree of life, which of course is a well-known phrase used in reference to our Torah. The tree is at the center of the logo, and the Torah as the tree of life is at the center of our synagogue. Another aspect of the logo which relates to the Torah is the Etz/Tree enclosed by a figure of the tablets. This represents the transmission of the 10 Commandments and the Torah to the Jewish people on Mount Sinai as the foundation of our faith. The Hebrew term for tree, Etz, is spelled Ayin, Tzadee. The dominant Hebrew letter in the logo, which appears 12 times, is Ayin. At the bottom of tree in the logo you will notice a Tzadee represented in its regular and final forms. The reason we have selected 12 representations of the Ayin is to symbolize the 12 tribes of Israel, each with its own history and geography, all coming together as a unified whole congregation. Kol Shalom is the only Conservative synagogue in Anne Arundel County, and due to the merger, it also has roots in Prince George’s County. We welcome Jews from many parts of Maryland. The term Etz (tree) and the twelve Ayins also provide a graphic representation of Exodus 15:24-27. Immediately after leaving Egypt and singing Shirat HaYam - The Song at the (Red) Sea, the Israelites encounter bitter water. They wonder what they will drink, and begin to complain to Moses. “So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood (etz); he threw it into the water and the water became sweet.” (Exodus 15:25) “And they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees; and they encamped there beside the water.” (Exodus 15:27) Elim served as an oasis for our ancestors in the wilderness. That is also our view of Congregation Kol Shalom. The twelve representations of the letter Ayin in our logo can also symbolize the 12 springs of water in the oasis known as Elim and Kol Shalom. The name of the letter Ayin is similar to the Hebrew word Aynot which means “springs” in Exodus 15:27. Finally, the letter Ayin represents the numerical equivalent of seventy, the number of palm trees mentioned in this verse. I hope you will agree that the multilayered symbolism found in this beautiful logo appropriately represents highlights of the history and the promise of the future of Congregation Kol Shalom. Rabbi Philip Pohl |
