Two JSLI rabbis lead same British Columbia congregation

The Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute is highlighting a rare back-to-back leadership transition at Kolot Mayim Reform Congregation in Victoria, British Columbia, where two of its ordained rabbis have served as spiritual leaders. The succession underscores JSLI’s growing footprint in Jewish communities across North America.

Why it matters: - Kolot Mayim Reform Congregation in Victoria, British Columbia, has twice turned to rabbis trained by the Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute. - The transition shows how JSLI graduates are filling leadership roles in congregations that want inclusive, evolving Jewish life. - The example highlights JSLI’s broader reach across North America and beyond.

What happened: - Rabbi Lynn Greenhough, a JSLI graduate and native of Vancouver Island, was ordained in New York in 2019 and became Kolot Mayim’s spiritual leader soon after. - Rabbi Greenhough served the congregation for years before retiring in 2026. - Kolot Mayim then welcomed Rabbi Ilana Krygier Lapides, who received her S’micha from JSLI in December 2020. - Rabbi Krygier Lapides brought decades of experience in Jewish education, communal leadership and spiritual care.

The details: - Rabbi Greenhough built a legacy that included teaching, pastoral care, interfaith engagement and community leadership. - Rabbi Greenhough also became a regular contributor to the Times Colonist on faith and Jewish life. - Rabbi Krygier Lapides previously worked with the Calgary JCC, Calgary Jewish Federation, Jewish Family Services and Beth Tzedec Conservative Congregation. - Kolot Mayim describes itself as an inclusive Reform congregation serving Jewish people and families with varied backgrounds and observance levels. - The congregation’s services combine English and Hebrew, Sephardi and Ashkenazi traditions, music and contemporary innovation. - Rabbi Steven Blane, founder and dean of JSLI, said the school ordained both rabbis because of their knowledge, heart and commitment to serve the Jewish people. - Blane said seeing two JSLI rabbis lead the same congregation made the institute “enormously proud.” - JSLI is a New York-based, pluralistic rabbinical school for accomplished Jewish adults called to spiritual leadership. - JSLI graduates serve as congregational leaders, chaplains, educators, lifecycle officiants and Jewish spiritual leaders in the United States, Canada and beyond.

Between the lines: - The succession suggests continuity matters in smaller or evolving congregations that want both experience and a broad communal skill set. - JSLI is using the story as proof that its ordination model can produce leaders who fit modern, mixed-tradition communities. - Kolot Mayim’s profile mirrors the kind of congregation JSLI says it was founded to serve.

What's next: - Kolot Mayim will continue under JSLI-trained leadership with Rabbi Krygier Lapides at the helm. - JSLI is likely to keep pointing to the Victoria example as evidence of its mission and reach. - The institute says its graduates will continue serving Jewish communities in multiple roles across North America and beyond.

The bottom line: - Two rabbis from the same rabbinical school leading the same congregation is a clean example of institutional continuity — and of JSLI’s growing presence in Jewish communal life.