TINR Tablet: What Have I Learned My First Year as Your Cantor?

As I write this article, I am thinking back to this time last year when I was writing to introduce myself to the community. Well, I have now been your cantor for a year. I have gotten to know many of you, I have learned from you and I look forward to getting to know you better over the coming year. And I hope that many of you have gotten to know me, and that you have learned from me as well. But I want to focus on some of the things I have learned during my first year as your cantor:

You love this community.

That’s a strong but true statement. The only vague part is who “you” is. I’ll start with the congregation at large. Some of you regularly attend services. Some of you volunteer and commit time and talent to TINR. Some of you donate generously. Whatever your involvement, time and again you have shown how much you care about your community.
And the clergy and staff love this community. It is refreshing and energizing to work with colleagues who share such a strong commitment to this community. I enjoy working with all of my colleagues here at TINR and I am strengthened by their individual efforts and the overall commitment of the team.

You love music.

So many of you have shared your sincere appreciation for what I bring to this community, musically and otherwise. And the comments go well beyond typical praise. Clearly this congregation is made up of insightful and thoughtful appreciators of music and worship. This is not to say that I am not questioned or criticized on occasion. But those comments too show a love and respect for the role of music in the synagogue. I don’t expect everyone uniformly to love all the music we do here, but I certainly appreciate the passion that so many of you show for music in its infinite variety.
Many of you have also chosen to participate in creating music for our services. Whether you sing in one of our choirs, play instruments or have helped to lead through chanting our sacred texts, you have joined me in uplifting the community in song and prayer. In music, as in all things, we are stronger together.

You love this building.

We are lucky to inhabit such a beautiful building, designed by Percival Goodman in 1962. Clearly the mid-century modern architecture impacts the identity of our community—just look at our logo. It’s not a menorah or other Jewish symbol, but a stylized image of our building. But a building of this age, designed for a very different community more than 55 years ago, must change. How exciting that this summer we are able to renovate our sanctuary, thanks to the Raizen and Fadem families and their generous support. See all the pictures below!

Keeping with the ideals of Reform Judaism, we do not ignore our history. We seek to adapt and renovate in a way that respects the sanctity of the original design but allows the sanctuary to remain relevant and functional for contemporary worship. Besides an aesthetic freshening-up of the space, our renovation will lower the bimah, creating a stronger bond between congregation and clergy. The barriers between our synagogue musicians and the bimah will be removed, creating a direct connection between me and the other musicians, and a stronger bond between all of our musicians and the congregation. The more gracious space for musicians will also accommodate a grand piano, allowing us to create more varied musical worship. The sanctuary and bimah will become accessible to all with a ramp to the bimah and an integrated listening assistance system for the hearing impaired. The fixed pews will be replaced by flexible seating, allowing for unique seating arrangements that may suit a particular service or event. Improved lighting will enhance the worship experience for all.

By the time you are reading this, the renovation will already be underway. I encourage you to stop by the lobby to have a look at our renderings for the newly renovated sanctuary. And most importantly, mark your calendars for Shabbat evening, September 15 as we rededicate our sanctuary prior to the High Holidays.

Come Rosh Hashanah, we will be able to sing with full hearts, “Hashiveinu Adonai eilecha, v’nashuvah. Chadeish yameinu k’kedem.” Return us to You, Adonai, and we will return. Renew our days, as before. May this summer be a time of renewal for all.

L’shalom,