Founding Principles
Kol Am’s founding principles are shaped by the wisdom of three modern Jewish voices. Yuval Noah Harari, Rabbi Sherwin Wine, and Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz each offer a lens that grounds our approach to humanism, secularism, and diasporism. Together, their ideas inspire how we teach, learn, and build community.
Humanism
(Yuval Noah Harari)
We believe human experience and agency are the drivers of justice, meaning, and change. We teach our children that cooperation across diverse individuals and communities is the foundation of human progress.
Secularism
(Rabbi Sherwin Wine)
We celebrate Jewish identity as a cultural, historical, and ethical inheritance — independent of supernatural authority. We find meaning in stories, traditions, and values that enrich our lives and connect us across generations.
Diasporism
(Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz)
We embrace our place in the Jewish diaspora and affirm our connection with other peoples and struggles — especially here, in Brooklyn. Our school is rooted in feminism, antiracism, and radical solidarity, where personal liberation is inseparable from collective struggles for justice.