Cantor - TEMPLE BETH EL

Cantor’s Column – February 2022

February 1, 2022

Celebrating Love Cantor Ilan Davidson cantor@bethelsp.org As we enter into the month of February, it seems appropriate to discuss the topic of celebrating love. In the past, you have read my article about a little-known holiday, the Jewish Valentine’s Day, T’u B’Av, which takes place in the summer. I also wrote about how, as Jews, […]

Cantor’s Column – January 2022

January 1, 2022

Looking Forward to this Centennial Year Cantor Ilan Davidson cantor@bethelsp.org As we begin 2022, I can’t help but feel the buzz of excitement of our Centennial Celebration Year. This community, which I have had the privilege to serve for more than a quarter of its existence, is about to celebrate something that few communities have […]

Cantor’s Column – December 2021

December 1, 2021

Rededication and Resolution Cantor Ilan Davidson cantor@bethelsp.org As we celebrate these times of Hanukkah and the approaching secular New Year, it is a time for rededication, reflection, and resolution. As our ancestors celebrated the first Hanukkah, they were well aware that they needed to rededicate themselves to their service to the Temple, but perhaps more […]

Cantor’s Column – November 2021

November 1, 2021

Shir Hadash – Hoda-ah – Giving Thanks Cantor Ilan Davidson cantor@bethelsp.org Admittedly, I have never been a great grammar buff in the Hebrew language. In English, I can take even the most complex sentence and diagram its pieces, thanks to Mrs. Kretzinger in 9th grade. However, in Hebrew, I have never done a great deal […]

Cantor’s Column – September 2021

September 1, 2021

Shir Hadash – A New Song Cantor Ilan Davidson cantor@bethelsp.org As summer draws to a close and we prepare to welcome a new Jewish year, once again we look inward to begin the process of T’Shuvah, a return to our own level of holiness. We ask ourselves where we could have been better people this […]

Cantor’s Column – July 2021

July 1, 2021

Jewish American or American Jew Cantor Ilan Davidson cantor@bethelsp.org As we celebrate our nation’s Day of Independence, I always find myself feeling great patriotism, pride, and emotion, that I have the honor of living in and raising my family in this free republic. I have always been a proud American. My father was a naturalized […]

Cantor’s Column – June 2021

June 1, 2021

Words of Gratitude Cantor Ilan Davidson cantor@bethelsp.org As we reach the end of Shloshim, the first 30 days of mourning, since the passing of my sweet mother, Tamar, we wanted to express our entire family’s gratitude for the outpouring of generosity and love from our congregational community. The sheer number who attended the Zooms for […]

Cantor’s Column – May 2021

May 1, 2021

Commitment to Camp Continues Cantor Ilan Davidson cantor@bethelsp.org Temple Beth El has had a historic commitment to Jewish Camping for our young people that spans nearly 5 decades, and the future is bright and encouraging, for our young people, as a result. Statistics overwhelmingly show that in our world of challenged religious institutions, seeking to […]

Cantor’s Column – April 2021

April 1, 2021

Yom Ha’Atzmaut – A Personal Holiday Cantor Ilan Davidson cantor@bethelsp.org In 1906, my grandfather, Avishai Davidson, was born in Rishon LeZion, Israel, a virtual wasteland, being built up by those who believed in a Zionist dream, as the city’s name implies. 25 years later, he started his own family, with the birth of my father, […]

Cantor’s Column – March 2021

March 1, 2021

Still Crossing the Sea after All These Years Cantor Ilan Davidson cantor@bethelsp.org Passover has always been my favorite holiday. The family, the food, the music, and even the preparation and cleaning have always made me feel a sense of uplifted spirit and engagement. As a child, I would spend the month before Passover, preparing for […]