Excerpted from Cantor Schechtman’s remarks at her 20^th Anniversary Gala:

Tonight has been a night which has celebrated me, but it is also a night to celebrate this community.  It is not only a credit to me to have served one congregation for 2 decades, but a huge tribute to the congregation itself.  Temple Beth Am has a history of long-term relationships with its clergy, and I feel privileged to be a part of that legacy.

I have said many times that although singing is the most public part of my job, it is truly only a small percentage of what I do.  And I am often asked, “What is your favorite part of being a cantor?”  I couldn’t possibly narrow that down to one thing, because really love so many aspects of this job. 

When I am chanting a prayer and I can feel God’s presence in the depths of my soul, I think, this is why I became a cantor.

When I am watching a bar or bat mitzvah who, I know, struggled with Hebrew just a few months earlier, chant beautifully from the Torah, I think, this is why I became a cantor.

When I stand under a chuppah and look into the teary eyes of a bride and groom as I pronounce them husband and wife, I think, this is why I became a cantor.

When I have been with a family through the Jewish rituals of death and mourning and know that I have helped them find peace and move forward, I think, this is why I became a cantor.

When I sit in a classroom of high school students and listen to them discuss ethics and social justice, I think, this is why I became a cantor.

When I hold the hand of a congregant who is lying in a hospital and offer them comfort and prayers, I think, this is why I became a cantor.

When I see this bima filled with 85 Jr. Choir members who are singing their hearts out during services, I think, this is why I became a cantor.

When I sit at a budget meeting to hash out numbers and try to balance the bottom line, I think…Jr. Choir is why I became a cantor…

But I am grateful to those who give of their own personal time to make that bottom line balance, who stuff envelopes in the office, who organize the books in the library and who, month after month, sit on committees to make this temple run.  That is why we are all here.  Together, we are helping to perpetuate the values of Judaism for the next generation.

Carol Hanover, you never cease to amaze me.  Your commitment to Temple Beth Am, to WRJ and to Jewish philanthropic causes is incredible.  I am so fortunate to call you a friend.  Thank you for pulling all of this together and making this weekend one that I will not forget.  Thank you to Rabbi Miller and Rabbi Splansky; to Stan Schertzer for giving me a gift which I will carry in my heart forever, and to Rob Cohen for MC’ing with love and affection.

Very, very special thanks to Colleen Breitbord, Nancy Bromley, Lisa Cohen, Eileen Davis, Nikki Davidson, Ed Eglitis, Karen Eglitis, Victoria Felson, Barbara Franklin, Barbara Fritz-Elliott, Sue Habelow, Ellen Jagher, Lisa Klein,  Nancy Marcus, Susan Pell, Joanne Pike, Wendy Schwartz, Jennifer Siegal-Miller, Ellen Weinstein, Esther Wishnow and Evye Woldman.  You are all so special to me, and I will carry all that you have done with me for a long time. 

My dear friends, it’s been a great run, but I’m not done yet.  There are more students to teach, more simchas to celebrate, more festivals to observe.  Thank you for the love and support you’ve shown to me and to my family for 20 years.  I feel blessed to be a part of this community.  Thank you for the music, for giving it to me.


Respectfully,