When I was about 6 years old my older sister joined the synagogue youth choir. I had no interest in singing, but while sitting next to my father enduring painfully long Conservative High Holy Day services while tying knots in the fringes of my father’s tallit, I got a little jealous of my sister. The services were held in the San Gabriel Civic Auditorium, a huge barn of a theater with architecture reminiscent of the San Gabriel Mission next door. The choir got to sit on a platform in the orchestra pit and leave during the most tedious parts. That appealed to me.
The next summer my sister was notified that the choir practices would be held at the Kaplan’s house and that they had a pool. That was it. I wanted in. I was willing to sing for an hour if I could go swimming afterwards. It was a youth choir and it didn’t matter if I could sing or not. Everyone was welcome. So at the age of 7 I joined the choir.
My desire to escape the triple digit heat of the San Gabriel Valley turned out to be life changing. I remained in Cantor Moshe’s choir for 13 years even though Moshe changed synagogues and my family followed him. I made lifelong friends and was annexed into two families while my parents annexed the children of the other two families. The Solomons including Cantor Moshe, the Foxes, and the Cohens became inseparable. Even now that all our parents are gone, we remain close. Through B’nai Mitzvah, graduations, weddings, the birth of children, the children’s B’nai Mitzvah, the children’s weddings and the birth of grandchildren (not us unfortunately) we remain close.
If you have a High Holy Day memory or reflection you would like to share, please email Rabbi Dean.
From the President – August 20, 2020
August 20, 2020 by tbhrich •
When I was about 6 years old my older sister joined the synagogue youth choir. I had no interest in singing, but while sitting next to my father enduring painfully long Conservative High Holy Day services while tying knots in the fringes of my father’s tallit, I got a little jealous of my sister. The services were held in the San Gabriel Civic Auditorium, a huge barn of a theater with architecture reminiscent of the San Gabriel Mission next door. The choir got to sit on a platform in the orchestra pit and leave during the most tedious parts. That appealed to me.
The next summer my sister was notified that the choir practices would be held at the Kaplan’s house and that they had a pool. That was it. I wanted in. I was willing to sing for an hour if I could go swimming afterwards. It was a youth choir and it didn’t matter if I could sing or not. Everyone was welcome. So at the age of 7 I joined the choir.
My desire to escape the triple digit heat of the San Gabriel Valley turned out to be life changing. I remained in Cantor Moshe’s choir for 13 years even though Moshe changed synagogues and my family followed him. I made lifelong friends and was annexed into two families while my parents annexed the children of the other two families. The Solomons including Cantor Moshe, the Foxes, and the Cohens became inseparable. Even now that all our parents are gone, we remain close. Through B’nai Mitzvah, graduations, weddings, the birth of children, the children’s B’nai Mitzvah, the children’s weddings and the birth of grandchildren (not us unfortunately) we remain close.
If you have a High Holy Day memory or reflection you would like to share, please email Rabbi Dean.
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