Livingston Temple to Install New Cantor in Special Nov. 14 Ceremony

Temple Emanu-El in Livingston will formally install and welcome its new Cantor, Joshua Finkel, on Friday, Nov. 14 during its Shabbat service, which begins at 6:30 p.m.

During the installation, Cantor Israel Goldstein, the director emeritus of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, School of Sacred Music and Cantor Finkel’s mentor, will speak about Cantor Finkel as well as sing with him.

“While Cantor Finkel has been with us since July, we look forward to formally welcoming him and his family to our community,” Dave Spiler, Temple Emanu-El’s President said. “In addition to having a beautiful voice, Cantor Finkel is partnering with our Rabbi, Greg Litcofsky, and our Director of Congregational Learning Susan Cosden, to make our spiritual home come alive through music. We look forward to hearing and exploring his talents as we grow together.”

Finkel, a West Orange resident, is a graduate of the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, where he was also ordained.

Prior to joining Temple Emanu-El, Finkel worked with several congregations including Hebrew Tabernacle Congregation in New York City, Congregation Oheb Shalom in Reading, PA and Ohel Avraham Synagogue in Haifa, Israel. Cantor Finkel enjoys a wide variety of Jewish music and studies, and is an award-winning composer of worship music.

“Cantor Finkel brings warmth and authenticity, rooted in Torah and learning, to all that he does,” said Rabbi Greg Litcofsky. “Be it in the sanctuary, in the classroom, with the choir, or on the floor with our ECC students Cantor Finkel, in the short time he has been with us, has already had a deep and meaningful impact on our community.

“Cantor Finkel is a true clergy partner, passionate Jewish educator and a friend,” Rabbi Litcofsky added. “It has been a blessing to welcome him, his wife Emily and their daughter Sophie into our community.”

All are invited to join be Cantor Israel Goldstein in the celebration on Nov. 14. Goldstein received his MA degree and investiture as Cantor at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, School of Sacred Music. He is the director emeritus of that institution and still serves on its faculty. Goldstein is Cantor emeritus of the Jericho Jewish Center in Long Island and has officiated and concertized in major cities throughout the United States, Canada, Israel, and Ukraine. He is also the soloist on four archival recordings of Great Synagogue Composers.

Goldstein’s piano arrangements of cantorial recitatives appear in several publications of synagogue music. Cantor Goldstein is presently a visiting professor at the Abraham Geiger College Cantorial Arts Institute in Berlin.

Temple Emanu-El of West Essex is a reform congregation located at 264 West Northfield Road in Livingston. For more information about the temple please click here.

Information courtesy of Andrew Miller. Photo courtesy of the Temple Emanu-El West Essex Facebook page.