AJR-Journal-2023-Joomag (1) | Page 11

HOWARD K . GLANTZ
hf vz iht vzv ouenv trub vn ohnav rga vzu ohvuk-t , hc ot
How awe-inspiring to be in this space , none other than a Divine abode .
~ Genesis 28:17

Being raised in the Conservative Movement , I developed a deep love for Judaism through my experiences at Beth El Temple in West Hartford , Camp Ramah in New England , and through my involvement in United Synagogue Youth ( USY ).

My senior year spent in Israel on a program of the Sokhnoot , was personally transformative . I gained a wider sense of the “ Jewish experience ,” and had the opportunity to live and volunteer in Mevaseret Yerushalayim where little if any English was spoken . The Maimons and Martzianos who hosted me , will forever be considered mishpahah .
I met Dayna ( then ) Nepiarsky in the kosher dining commons on the very first Friday of my college experience at UMass Amherst . I never imagined that life would be so fulfilling . We recently celebrated 35 years of marriage together with our sons and daughters , whom we affectionately refer to as the 4 R ’ s ; Rafi ( and his fiancée Aldema ), Remy , Rose , and Rory . Dayna has been my rock and my guiding light , providing me with unwavering and unconditional support .
Five years at the Cantors Institute of the Jewish Theological Seminary enhanced my understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing contemporary Jewish expression . I am deeply grateful to the many rabbis , hazzanim , educators , and camp counselors who have shared their knowledge , spirituality , and inspiration . Without their guidance , my goal of attaining rabbinic semikhah would never have been pursued or realized .
Since the summer of 2004 , I have been honored to serve as Hazzan at Congregation Adath Jeshurun in Elkins Park , Pennsylvania . Our beloved shul has been an unending source of assistance , providing me with a wide range of resources . I must thank my cherished bimah partners at AJ ; Hazzan Charles S . Davidson , Rabbi Seymour Rosenbloom , Rabbi Rachel Kobrin , Rabbi Barry Kenter , and Rav Shai Cherry . They have greatly contributed to my growth and development as a spiritual leader .
I cannot sufficiently express the appreciation I feel for the learned and compassionate faculty and administration at the Academy for Jewish Religion . I have felt infused with an enriched sense of my role as an extension of Torah . The Cantors to Rabbis program has exceeded my expectations in all the classes , retreats , and intensives . It has served as a natural extension of where I was upon arrival and motivated me to continue to progress in my love of text . The friendships I have made with my fellow students , professors , and administrators are ones that I treasure and expect to maintain throughout my career as Rabbi / Hazzan .
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