It is common knowledge at this point that Cantor Winston will not be with us after June as she has for so many years now. We will always have fond recollections of beautiful renditions of traditional and contemporary melodies not to mention the training of so many of our children for b’nai mitzvah, programs to teach us about our Judaic traditions, and an organizer of most all musical programming – from entertaining shows to folk songs to spiritual events. She has set a standard that will surely be enduring.

We are in the midst of a comprehensive congregational survey that is a compass to help us to focus priorities over the next several years. We are counting on your input in order to help us determine where and how much of our resources should go to not only fill some of the gaps but to gauge where we should be growing.

We are also embarking on a program of experimentation. As many of you have heard, we are now blessed with an amazing volunteer adult choir, lead by James McMahon. This talented group of congregants is an excellent complement to the ongoing keyboard impresario Vance Reece, A youth choir is now directed with the energizing talent of Seth Kellam who is also with us Sunday mornings to coordinate musical programming for all of our religious school kids. We are focused on determining what will resonate with as many folks as we can engage.

Finally, we are working with the American Conference of Cantors (the ‘other’ ACC) to further explore their resources and determine if we would be best served with either another cantor, or perhaps a non-ordained soloist with honed skills in liturgical musical programming. These three steps are all occurring at the same time. We don’t know exactly what the final configuration will turn out to be like, but it is important for all of you to understand a couple of perspectives from the board. We are committed to preserving a musical program with liturgical roots. This is an element that has been an integral part of the community at CBHT for a long time and we will continue to benefit from its influence. We are also committed to the weighing your preferences The survey that you are being asked to participate in is an essential portal from which you can let the Board know what matters to you. Help us to chart the future. Please respond to the recent e-mail link asking you to participate in the congregational survey.

B’Shalom,
Larry Weiss