UPDATED: Temple Beth Am Celebrates New Rabbi & Cantor

Editor’s Note: Report was updated on June 16 to fix an error. The original report said the Rabbi would be ordained, but he has been ordained.

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FRAMINGHAM – Sunday was the first in-person celebration for Temple Beth Am, post the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event was a celebration of the new Rabbi Rav Sam Blumberg and Cantor David Wolff and to foster a sense of community for Temple members.

There are about 300 members in the Temple, located off Pleasant Street in Framingham. The members come from several MetroWest communities.

The 2-hour celebration was held outdoors in the garden area, with food, games, and in-person conversations. The Temple held an in-person Shabbat service on Friday, June 11.

Both the Rabbi and the Cantor began during the summer of 2020, in the middle of the pandemic.

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Rav Sam Blumberg comes to Temple Beth Am as spiritual leader from Hebrew College, where he was ordained. He grew up in Southern California and earned a degree in religious studies from the University of California, Davis.

Rav Blumberg then went on to the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem before receiving his Master of Jewish Education from Hebrew College. He spent five years teaching Jewish Studies to middle school students at a Jewish Day School in Portland, Oregon. He has worked as a rabbinic intern at Congregation Betenu in Amherst, NH and Temple Sinai in Brookline, and completed his chaplaincy at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Rav Blumberg lives with his wife, Amalia, and two children, Zamir and Sol.

Cantor Wolff returns to Temple Beth Am after spending the past two years as a cantorial intern. He was ordained at Hebrew College in June 2020. Cantor Wolff graduated from Amherst College with a degree in music composition before studying Hebrew at Ulpan Gordon in Tel Aviv. He earned a Master of Music in Voice and Music Education from the University of Michigan and Master of Arts in Jewish Education from Hebrew College. Before becoming a cantor, Cantor Wolff was an opera performer and a music educator in a low-income public elementary school in Maryland for 5 years.

“Rav Sam Blumberg and Cantor David Wolff are an enthusiastic team that will bring energy, personal support, and spiritually-driven leadership to Temple Beth Am, moving our synagogue into a new and exciting era in its more than 60-year history as a Reform Jewish Synagogue in Framingham,” said Temple Beth Am President Carol Hanover, in announcing the leadership change last year. “While respectful of Temple Beth Am’s traditions, they will lead our inclusive community to a joyful expression of our Jewish belief through prayer, study, and music.”

Hanover said the Temple will be holding a membership drive for families with a special membership rate in 2021 at $180 for the year.

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Petroni Media Company photos for SOURCE