By Cantor Yonah Kliger (5-18-09)

Today is thirty-nine days, which is five weeks and four days of the Omer.

 

It is a tradition to count the days between Passover and Shavuot, as we mark our freedom from slavery and celebrate our freedom to accept Torah. This is called "counting the omer." This year we will observe the tradition of "counting the omer" by sharing stories about the many different ways that we have been turned on to Jewish learning, and through Jewish learning to Torah.

After my Bar Mitzvah, I didn't want to continue my Jewish education.  With 8 years of Day School and two years of Religious School under my belt, I was ready for a break.  Sensing that if I were pushed too hard, I might never come back; Cantor Baruch Cohon devised a plan to somehow keep me connected to Temple Emanuel.  The answer was a simple word: music.  He asked me to join the Family Choir, and very quickly, I became one of four Junior Cantors who led the Family Services on the High Holy Days.  Cantor Cohon not only taught me all of the beautiful music for the High Holy Days (many melodies we still sing today at Temple Emanuel), but he also helped me discover my passion for Jewish music and leading a congregation through prayer and song.

As it turns out, Cantor Cohon wasn't the only one in on the "keep Yonah connected" plan.  Joyce Seglin, the Religious School Director, never forced me to attend classes in Religious School.  But, she made me promise that I would return for Confirmation Class.  After a two year "hiatus" from Religious School, I made good on my end of the bargain, all the while remaining an active member of the choir and Junior Cantors. 

Today, I am proud that I've been able to train a new generation of Junior Cantors, who lead our Family Services on the High Holy Days and on Shabbat as well. Several Junior Cantor graduates (Lauren Brucker, Lizzie Weiss, Chelsey Forbess, Stephanie Lewis, Daniel Tator, and Alex Borys, to name a few) have returned to Temple Emanuel during college to join me on the bimah, sing in our choirs, and chant Torah.  One of them, Sarah Weiss, will be our new interim Cantorial Soloist at the New Emanuel Minyan in the coming year, and hopefully, she's going to begin Cantorial School the following fall.  L'Dor Va Dor....(From Generation to Generation...)

 

By Cantor Yonah Kliger

These stories are brought to you by the Temple Emanuel RE-IMAGINE project, an 18-month initiative sponsored by Hebrew Union College, devoted to re-thinking and re-structuring our religious school.