Shalom and welcome. I would venture to guess that you are considering joining this congregation for many of the same reasons that attracted Anne and me: friendly, welcoming congregants; a compassionate, knowledgeable and accessible Rabbi; and a modern, Conservative philosophy where respect for ancient traditions and recognition of the changing needs of the 21st century Jew exist on equal footing.

As Hazzan, I have the pleasure of  leading the congregation in prayer, coupling words from the Siddur and the Torah with melodies both ancient and modern, and encouraging all in attendance to join with me in the joyful exercise of lifting our voices to God. A student of mine once said, "God must really like music, otherwise we'd speak our prayers, rather than sing them.” I couldn't have put it better! During prayer we are magically individual and community at the same time. Furthermore, prayer is as much a skill as is mastering a sport or musical instrument. And acquiring, maintaining or mastering a skill requires practice. I invite you to come practice with us and join our prayer community. I guarantee it will be a lot less tiring than running on a treadmill and a lot more spiritually uplifting than lifting weights.

It's a pleasure to welcome you to Temple Beth Torah. See you in shul.

Cantor Siegel