Beth Israel is pleased to announce the newest member of its clergy team. Cantor Rhoda J. Harrison joins us as one of our spiritual leaders beginning this July.
Cantor Harrison will ascend the bimah of Beth Israel for her first “official” service with us, joining Rabbi Michael L. Feshbach in leading Kabbalat Shabbat Services on Friday, July 7, at 5:30 pm. All are welcome. The service takes place at Beth Israel, 2501 Shore Road, Northfield, NJ. The evening will include a special blessing for Beth Israel’s high school and college graduates, a welcome back to all of our “Snow Birds,” and a special Oneg Shabbat following the service.
With this service, the congregation welcomes Cantor Harrison to the Jersey Shore. Cantor Harrison brings a wealth of experience from her study and work in Jerusalem, New York, and Baltimore. She holds a Master of Arts in Sacred Music & Cantorial Ordination from Hebrew Union College – Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music and a Ph.D. in Jewish Studies with concentrations in Liturgy, Biblical Hebrew, and History from Baltimore Hebrew University. Cantor Harrison is also an ordained Rabbi having earned Rabbinic Semicha from the Mesifta Adath Wolkowisk during her doctoral studies.
In addition, Cantor Harrison holds a certificate in Gerontology & Palliative Care from Wurzweiller School of Social Work, Yeshiva University in New York. She is working toward her Master of Social Work.
“My favorite role within the synagogue is that of giving voice to our prayer texts — of helping to lift the words off the page by giving them dimension and voice through song – hopefully in a manner that resonates with the kahal, the community,” said Cantor Harrison. “In other words, I love the role of Cantor!
“As I’ve gotten to know the congregation over the past few months, I’ve been so impressed by the sense of community within and beyond the synagogue’s walls,” said Cantor Harrison. “Rabbi Feshbach and I have known each other many years as we both had long tenures at synagogues in the Baltimore/DC metro area. It has been great to reconnect this year, and I very much look forward to not only building upon our clergy partnership but also developing meaningful connections with all of you,” she wrote in a letter to the congregation.
The largest Reform congregation on the Mainland in South Jersey, Beth Israel is a warm and welcoming home to generations of families who play a vital and integral part in synagogue life. A full-service congregation, Beth Israel welcomes diversity, interfaith families, LGBTQ Jews and partners, Jews of color, and all types of modern Jewish families, wherever they may be found on their personal Jewish journey. For more information on our educational programs, contact us at (609) 641-3600 or email us at bethisrael@cbinorthfield.org. Learn more at Beth Israel at https://bethisraelnorthfield.org.
Photo credit: Travis Curry
