/24-7PressRelease/ - CHEVY CHASE, MD, July 25, 2008 - Temple Shalom, a progressive family-friendly Reform Jewish congregation in Montgomery County, Maryland, announces the arrival of Cantor Lisa Levine as the congregation's first-ever first full-time invested Reform cantor. (Investiture is the cantorial equivalent of ordination for rabbis).
"We are thrilled to enhance our clergy and professional team with someone of Cantor Levine's extraordinary qualifications, talent and creativity," said Temple Shalom President Elizabeth Kingery. "Cantor Levine's depth of spirituality and broad liturgical musical knowledge are exceeded only by her boundless energy and enthusiasm. Cantor Levine will bring a renewed sense of ruach (spirit) to our music, to our worship and to our community as a whole."
"Current and prospective congregants alike will be especially touched by and attracted to Cantor Levine's loving work with children, caring approach to pastoral services, highly successful outreach worship service for interfaith couples, and her innovative Yoga Shalom Jewish yoga worship experience," said Ms. Kingery. "But even more important, with Senior Rabbi Michael Feshbach, Executive Director Susan Zemsky, Director of Education Lisa Pressman and now Cantor Lisa Levine, we have a team ready to work closely with each other and with our leadership, congregants and staff to carry Temple Shalom into the future."
Ordained in 1989, Cantor Levine is one of the leading contemporary religious composers and most accomplished cantors in the entire Reform Movement. Her compositions such as "Hear Our Prayer/Mi shebeirach," "Hallelu/Behold How Good" and countless others are sung every week in worship across North America. Her songs have also been featured and performed at the biennial conventions of the Union for Reform Judaism and included in publications such as the Central Conference of American Rabbis Open Door Haggadah and the American Conference of Cantors Lifecycle Manual.
"There are so many reasons I'm happy to be part of Temple Shalom. The congregation is a vibrant, musically sophisticated community eager to learn, sing and share many diverse styles of prayer," said Cantor Levine. "Plus, I'm excited to be working again with my long-time colleague and friend Senior Rabbi Michael Feshbach, who I've known since our junior year of college in Israel." Levine and Feshbach went on to study and graduate together as members of the Hebrew Union College class of 1989.
Rabbi Feshbach said that he has "followed Cantor Levine's career with interest, watched her with pride at conventions, and been deeply moved by her music. Cantor Levine is a presence filled with energy, warmth and an inclusive and welcoming spirituality. Temple Shalom is blessed that she has come to be part of our team, and I am personally excited to be working with her."
"My vision of worship for Temple Shalom includes three major elements," said Cantor Levine. "Joyful music in many different styles and modes, inclusion of bands, orchestras or small ensembles, youth, teen, adult and professional choirs - the more people, the better! - and cantors and rabbis who move off the bima and into the congregation to get people engaged, excited and involved."
Cantor Levine's solo CDs include Soulful Shabbat, Reaching for Peace, Mis Canciones Para Los Judíos de Cuba, and Gems of the High Holy Days, recorded live for Iowa Public Radio at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Des Moines. Also during her time in Iowa, Cantor Levine co-founded and was guest conductor for the Des Moines Diversity Chorus, an interfaith community choir dedicated to promoting diversity and understanding. Her 18 years of work with interfaith, African American and Jewish choirs of all ages inspired her to write music that she calls "Jospel," a melding of Jewish and Gospel styles.
Contact: Cantor Lisa Levine cantorlisa@templeshalom.net
Executive Director Susan Zemsky execdir@templeshalom.net
About Temple Shalom
At Temple Shalom in Chevy Chase, Maryland, strength, joy, and purpose abound in our contemporary approach to Reform Jewish worship education, and community. Founded in 1958, Temple Shalom provides an organized and caring response to the religious, spiritual and ethical needs of more than 500 member families primarily from south Montgomery County communities such as Bethesda, Kensington, Silver Spring, Takoma Park and Wheaton as well as Northwest Washington, D.C. Senior Rabbi Michael Feshbach, Cantor Lisa Levine, Executive Director Susan Zemsky and Director of Religious Education Lisa Pressman work with our staff and lay leadership to help members of diverse backgrounds and all ages build their own foundations in Jewish values.
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