PRESENTING BRIAN BARUCH SHAMASH AS RABBI AND TEACHER IN ISRAEL
Presented by Rabbi Howard Stecker
Hazzan Brian Shamash leads with his heart. Musically and pastorally, professionally and personally, he enters a space or an interaction with a lev patuah, an open heart. When Hazzan Shamash applied to be Hazzan of Temple Israel of Great Neck and was asked what his primary goal is, he replied,“ to raise up the voice of the congregation.” Not to“ get them to listen to me” or even“ to get them to sing with me,” but rather, to raise up their individual and collective voices.
Encouraging members of the congregation to join him on the bimah requires an open heart. Helping b’ nei mitzvah to find the self-confidence to sing out literally and metaphorically on their“ big day” requires an open heart. Asking an older congregant what he can bring them from the buffet, and what else he can bring after his first trip, requires an open heart.
Hazzan Shamash does all of this and the outcome is that he raises up the energy, the confidence and, indeed, the voices, of the people around him. I am not surprised that he chose to deepen his education as an expression of his profound openness to the full range and depth of the Jewish tradition. In his own person, he embraces Ashkenazi and Mizrahi melodies and customs. As he cleverly responded when asked whether he uses“ gefen” or“ gafen” to conclude the blessing for wine,“ It depends whether I am in my mother’ s house or my father’ s house.” Hazzan Shamash’ s parents, Maurice and Ann, happily living in the same house after many years, have inspired him in multiple ways and he also bears the loving influence of his wife Emily and his children, Ella, Maya and Ethan.
Several years ago, Hazzan Shamash invited an older member of the community to offer Persian liturgical prayers as part of our annual Selihot service. To prepare for that, he went to the man’ s house, sipped several cups of tea, and listened to hours of melodies before they chose a few selections. He then reached out to a handful of musicians including a violinist and an oud player. Ultimately, he fashioned an“ East Meets West” service that represented the collective aspirations of our people on the cusp of a new year. To be sure, he brought his extensive musical and liturgical know-how to the event. But, as always, he led with his heart.
I wish Brian and his family a robust mazel tov on this milestone. May he continue to raise up the voice of our congregation and our people.
BEIT DIN
Rabbi Matthew Goldstone, PhD- Somekh Rabbi Hazzan Howard Glantz Rabbi Jeffrey Segelman
16 AJR 2025