Spirituality

REACHING OUT from page 57

building.
Beyond the adult education is a Shabbat morning
program for young children. "And soon there will be
a religious school," Rabbi Cohen said. "We are now
putting classrooms in our building to facilitate the
school that will begin with a kindergarten class and
go on from there."
But Scharg said, "It was the rabbi who really sealed
the deal for me. Because the congregation is smaller,
he is very accessible.
"Rabbi Cohen is warm, bright and caring and is
someone the congregation actually knows, not just
some guy up there who you listen to for half an hour
a week," he said.

Getting To Today

"My grandparents were from Poland and Russia,
but I love the amazing conglomeration of back-
grounds of the members. The amount of language
capabilities is mind-boggling."
Today's membership includes longtime active
members Albert Chicorel of Novi, who is Jacob and
Judith Chicorel's son, and board member Rick Behar
of Farmington Hills, who is their grandson. Behar's
parents, Shirley and Marcel Behar, who recently
moved to California, will be honored at this June's
annual synagogue dinner.
But there are also quite a few new, young families
at Keter Torah, including grandchildren of some who
left the synagogue before there was a permanent
building.
"We now have the three main ingredients that we
need to keep going strong," Benchetrit said. "We
have a building, a rabbi and a chazzan."
And they have a congregation that is unique to the
Sephardic world. Many other American Sephardic
synagogues have only Sephardic members, who are
married to other Sephardim, some of whom do not
speak English.
"I think the fact that we are inclusive with our
Sephardic and Ashkenazic membership is forging
some new ground beyond the other Sephardic syna-
gogues," Benchetrit said. "We may be the prototype
for what a lot of Sephardic synagogues will become in
the future." ❑

The construction of the Keter Torah building was the
culmination of a dream begun in 1917 when Turkish
immigrants Jacob and Judith Chicorel founded the
Sephardic Community of Greater Detroit.
For 85 years, the congregation met in rented space
and private homes.
For several years, they held services at
Congregation Beth Achim in Southfield, where Ron
Janice and Donald Scharg at Keter Torah's rst
Harris was president.
annual dinner in June 2004
"After our services, I used to talk with some of the
members of the Sephardic group," Harris said.
After Beth Achim merged with Adat Shalom,
Harris and his wife, Marcia — nei-
ther of whom are Sephardic —
began to attend the Sephardic service
that was being held in a West
Bloomfield storefront. Marcia is now
A new Sefer Torah, written in Israel, will be dedicated in memory of Jack
an active leader at Keter Torah and
Shamie and Shirley Grace Shamie at noon Sunday, April 3, at Keter Torah.
Ron is a member of the board. "We
The event is sponsored by Sam and Nancy Shamie.
even chose our current home so we
For information, call (248) 681-3665.
could live near Keter Torah," Ron
Harris said.

Torah Dedication

.

Welcome, Chazzan

SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN

Staff Writer

I

n January, Keter Torah wel-
comed Israeli-born Chazzan
Ben Zion Ben Shimon.
He has served congregations since
he was 16 years old when he was
invited to lead High Holiday servic-
es at a synagogue in New York. He
later studied at Mesivta Yeshiva
Rabbi Chaim Berlin. At age 19,
Chazzan Ben Shimon went to
Argentina, where he spent five years
at a synagogue in a Turkish and
Syrian community.
For him to become a chazzan at
such a young age was expected. "For
all the nine generations that my
family has been in Israel, we have
been rabbis and cantors," he said. In

.„.,

3/24
2005

58

lived, when he reads Torah,
fact, Chazzan Ben Shimon
he knows all the different
is both, having received
Sephardic tropes, but he
rabbinic ordination from
also has Ashkenazic tunes.
the chief rabbi of Israel.
He incorporates a mosaic of
He even served congre-
different music — from
gants in a Moroccan syna-
familiar Israeli to classic
gogue in Venezuela as
Sephardic songs."
the
both the chazzan and
"I am a musician," Chaz-
rabbi. He spent the last
zan
Ben Shimon said. "So I
two years as chazzan of
Ben Shi mon
know all the melodies and I
the main Ashkenazic syna-
am happy to sing them all."
gogue in Ramat Gan,
And sometimes those
Israel. All that — and
tunes are quite unexpected. "There
he's only 27.
is one prayer he sings to the tune of
"Our chazzan is world-caliber,"
`Frere Jacque,'" said board member
said Keter Torah President Michael
Donald Scharg of West Bloomfield.
Benchetrit.
"He is very innovative and is willing
Added Rabbi Michael Cohen,
to try different things and borrow
"He is here to lead our service and
from all different kinds of venues."
to read the Torah. Because of his
And for Benchetrit of Farmington
background and the places he has

Hills, that innovation is appreciated.
"He knows my background is
Moroccan, so when I go up for an
aliyah he will shift tunes, because he
knows which ones are special to
me."
Chazzan Ben Shimon is happy to
be in Detroit with his wife, Matilde,
and their three young children.
"The Keter Torah community is a
very special place," he said. "I can
do a lot of things and make great
developments here."
Benchetrit said, "Having a chaz-
zan is very much an integral part of
the Sephardic synagogue since the
Sephardic tradition is very rich in
melodies which are a blend of
Middle Eastern and Spanish music.
So we are very, very pleased that he
is here."

❑