301-221-5133
DC SYNAGOGUES: RABBI SEROTTA, CANTOR TASAT TO LEAD
SHIRAT HANEFESH, A NEW JEWISH COMMUNITY IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD
SILVER SPRING, MD . . . Rabbi
Gerry Serotta and Cantor Ram—n Tasat have agreed to become the religious
leaders of Shirat HaNefesh (Song of the
Soul), an emerging Jewish congregation in southern Montgomery County, MD
that seeks to express its faith through music, prayer, lifelong learning, and
repairing the world (tikkun olam).
Serotta
and Tasat will lead Shirat HaNefesh's religious services and work with the
community to provide a full range of lifelong Jewish learning opportunities,
including b'nai mitzvah training, to members and their children.
Founded in
May 2008, Shirat HaNefesh is an unaffiliated community that draws from all
Jewish traditions and denominations. Shirat HaNefesh members include
traditional and non-traditional families, Jews by choice and birth, and
non-Jews who seek the Jewish spiritual experience Shirat HaNefesh offers.
"We
are very excited that Rabbi Serotta and Cantor Tasat have agreed to lead our
new community and bring their energy, imagination and inspiration to Shirat
HaNefesh," says steering committee member Heidi Coleman. ̉Rabbi Serotta's
learning and focus on social action plus Cantor Tasat's skills as an
operatic tenor and teacher of liturgical music will help make Shirat HaNefesh a
home for those seeking a joyous expression of their
faith."
Serotta
says he sees his role at Shirat HaNefesh as teacher, community organizer and
facilitator of Jewish spiritual growth, both personal and
communal. "Today virtually all American Jews are in some ways 'Jews
by choice,'Ó Serotta says. "Shirat HaNefesh recognizes and
builds on this restless diversity by striving to offer something new."
Before
joining Shirat HaNefesh, Serotta worked as the associate rabbi at
Temple Shalom in Chevy Chase, MD. Previously, he was Hillel director
at The George Washington University and earlier at Rutgers, Vassar and
CCNY. Serotta has also been the Senior Rabbinic Scholar-in-Residence at
the Religious Action Center. He is the current co-chair of Rabbis for Human
Rights-North America.
Tasat: ̉bringing a rich musical traditionÓ
Tasat says music will play an important role at Shirat HaNefesh. "My goal is to bring a rich musical tradition that inspires both joy and contemplation," said Tasat. He plans to use a choir and instrumentalists to enhance the spirituality and communal participation of different religious services.
One of the
most celebrated cantors locally and internationally, Tasat is also the director
of Cantorial Studies at the Academy for Jewish Religion (www.ajrsem.org ), musical advisor of the
Berkeley Richmond Jewish Music Festival, president of Shalshelet: The Foundation for New Jewish Liturgical Music (www.shalshelet.org ). Tasat recently worked at
Temple Shalom in Chevy Chase, MD and has made numerous recordings of Sephardic
and Ashkenazic Jewish music.
For more
information about Shirat HaNefesh, visit www.shirathanefesh.org.