Where our community supports each unique Jewish experience our mountain town has to offer.
Our Mission
Since 1983, the focus of Har Mishpacha (translated “Mountain Family”) has been to support a Jewish experience for our community based on worship, education, cultural heritage, social interaction and community involvement while remaining sensitive to the special circumstances and lifestyle that brought each of us to live in this mountain resort community.
“We are committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in our membership and participation so as to involve all individuals and families, regardless of background, financial means, gender, marital status, race, or age, in participating in our congregation. We remain understanding of the needs of those with both traditional and nontraditional Jewish backgrounds. We look to welcome and involve residents of our community as well as guests interested in our congregation.”
What We Support...
Spirituality - While personal philosophies and practices vary widely among us, we are united in a common commitment to maintaining Judaism in our lives. We work to further our spiritual growth both individually and communally. We desire to do this within a liberal Jewish context by working together, and with rabbinic leadership, to develop a meaningful Jewish worship.
Worship - The core of our Congregation’s participation revolves around Shabbat services, holidays, and life cycle events. We include a Rabbi on some of these occasions to add leadership, consistency, visibility, awareness and education to our congregation.
Community Relations - We work together to raise visibility and awareness within the Steamboat Springs community by creating and encouraging adult and children’s (or youth group) programs that serve needs in our town.
Education - We encourage education for both adults and children. We will continue to develop and provide programs to support our traditions, beginning with religious and Hebrew education programs for children, and continuing with appropriate programming for adults.
Our Staff
Rabbi Kolby Morris-Dahary (she/her)
Rabbi Kolby Morris-Dahary (she/her) is a passionate and dedicated spiritual leader, committed to fostering meaningful Jewish experiences and building vibrant, inclusive, and empowered Jewish communities. Her rabbinic ordination is through ALEPH Ordination Program (Jewish Renewal Movement) and has her MA in Jewish Thought from Haifa University and her BA in music performance from CU Boulder. She previously served as a Rabbi at Judaism Your Way in Denver and Rabbinic Intern at Hebrew Educational Alliance in Denver. Rabbi Kolby uses music as an integral part of her rabbinic toolbox, helping to elevate worship, learning, and connection through the power of song. Guided by her personal mission, "Kol-bi shemadlik et hakol she’becha" (the voice in me that inspires the voice within you), she strives to inspire and empower individuals to find their own unique voice in their Jewish journey. Rabbi Kolby creates spaces where families, youth, and adults can deepen their connection to Judaism, live out their values, and experience the transformative power of community. She is also deeply committed to interfaith dialogue and community engagement, bridging connections between diverse groups and strengthening both the Jewish community and the broader society.
SARI DAVIDSON (she/her), Education Director and Masa Educator
I have been an active member of Har Mishpacha since 2012 when I enrolled my then kindergarten-aged daughter in Cindy Ruzicka’s Introduction to Jewish Studies Class. I have been a board member of Har Mishpacha since 2016. Our family loved the sense of community that we felt once we joined Har Mishpacha’s Religious School. I began teaching the Introduction to Jewish Studies class in 2016 when the demand for classes in the Kindergarten through Bar/ Bat Mitzvah age increased and Cindy Ruzicka was no longer able to meet the demand by herself. I have a MA in Expressive Arts Therapy, a MA in Counseling Psychology and I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. My Expressive Arts background helps me to bring a creative approach to teaching the students about their Jewish heritage, culture, holidays, and torah stories. I studied Hebrew in college and led a six week tour to Israel for American and newly immigrated Russian teens after I graduated college. I also spent four months training with the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company on Kibbutz Ga'aton in Israel. In addition to teaching religious school, I am the director of Music Together Steamboat which provides music education for children 0-5 and their caregivers. I love teaching the Introduction to Jewish Studies class and am grateful to have the opportunity to work with your children.
I have been an active member of Har Mishpacha since 2012 when I enrolled my then kindergarten-aged daughter in Cindy Ruzicka’s Introduction to Jewish Studies Class. I have been a board member of Har Mishpacha since 2016. Our family loved the sense of community that we felt once we joined Har Mishpacha’s Religious School. I began teaching the Introduction to Jewish Studies class in 2016 when the demand for classes in the Kindergarten through Bar/ Bat Mitzvah age increased and Cindy Ruzicka was no longer able to meet the demand by herself. I have a MA in Expressive Arts Therapy, a MA in Counseling Psychology and I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. My Expressive Arts background helps me to bring a creative approach to teaching the students about their Jewish heritage, culture, holidays, and torah stories. I studied Hebrew in college and led a six week tour to Israel for American and newly immigrated Russian teens after I graduated college. I also spent four months training with the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company on Kibbutz Ga'aton in Israel. In addition to teaching religious school, I am the director of Music Together Steamboat which provides music education for children 0-5 and their caregivers. I love teaching the Introduction to Jewish Studies class and am grateful to have the opportunity to work with your children.