Our Choir

The Beth Elohim Adult Choir is a small group of talented and dedicated member volunteers, including director Judy Kramer.  Formed in 1980 with a core group of 4 singers, the choir has grown to 21 members, many of whom have been with the choir since its earliest days. The choir sings at High Holiday services, Sabbath morning services at the request of Bar/Bat Mitzvah families, and other occasional events. 

Once a year, the choir presents a very special Friday evening service (Shabbat Shirah – Sabbath of Song) in which most of the elements of the service are choral settings. This popular annual event has introduced to the congregation a wide variety of Jewish liturgical music and the richness of our musical heritage. Repertoire ranges from the Renaissance music of Salomone Rossi; to 19th European composers such as Lewandowski and Mombach; to Yiddish, Ladino and Sephardic folk tunes; to contemporary composers like Jeff Klepper, Charles Davidson, Meir Finkelstein, Ben Steinberg, Debbie Friedman, Stephen Glass and many others. 

The choir has commissioned four pieces: Mizmor Shir Chanukat Habayit by Charles Osborne (for the dedication of our current building); L’chu N’ran’na by Robert Applebaum;  Elohai Neshama by Robert Solomon (in honor of Rabbi Mintz and Naomi’s 30 years of service to our congregation); and another setting of Elohai Neshama by Benjie Ellen Schiller (in honor of CBE’s 50th anniversary). 

Rehearsals are held on Thursday evenings from 7:30 – 9:15 for approximately 10-12 weeks prior to the High Holidays and the annual music Shabbat, usually held in the spring. Other rehearsals are scheduled on an ad hoc basis, depending on planned events. If you have some choral singing experience and would like to explore becoming a choir member, contact director Judy Kramer at CBEChoir@bethelohim.org or call the synagogue office.

Darchei Shalom (Paths of Peace) Shabbat • May 21, 2021

Samachti B'omrim Li (Charles Osborne)

Eitz Chayim Hi (Robbie Solomon)

High Holidays 5781/2020

Any other year, our choir would have been busily preparing scores of prayers and songs for the High Holidays. In 5781/2020, due to COVID, we were sadly unable to either sing at services or rehearse together. Nonetheless, we were fortunate to be able to prepare four virtual video ensembles with the wonderful assistance of Riverbend Production Co. (riverbendproduction.com). We also prepared four audio-only pieces mastered by Mat Solomon (mathewsolomon.com). These follow, along with additional audio files played during the High Holiday services, from past Shabbat Shirah programs (most of which were mastered by Marty Krasnick).

Niggun "Lubavitcher" (arr. Jeff Klepper, choral arrangement Henry Thomas)

Un'taneh Tokef (Louis Lewandowski, arr. Martin Segal)

Yeish Kochavim (Jeff Klepper, arr. Jeff Klepper and Andrea Jill Higgins)

Adonai Li (Bruce Benson and Don Rossoff, arr. Andrea Jill Higgins)