(Spirituality

Sweet Shul Music from page 41

The family's practices quickly turn into freewheeling jam sessions.

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42

September 10 • 2009

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take center stage
and lead the service.
"Many have strong
backgrounds in
Jewish prayer, but
others have been
inspired as adults
to learn to lead the
Rabbi
service.
Rubenstein
"When one has
the opportunity to
lead others in prayer, it totally changes
one's feelings and perspective regard-
ing the prayers," said Rubenstein.
"I think this lay participation can be
inspiring for both the leader and the
those praying along. At Beth Ahm, we
think of ourselves as a shul where we
both sing together and learn together."
Many congregants lead services on
weekdays, Shabbat and holidays. The
davening crew includes, among others,
Ritual Assistant Nancy Kaplan, Robert
Levine, David Arm, Scott Cranis, Dr.
Warren Tessler and Torah Reader Dr.
Jeff Weinfeld, all of West Bloomfield;
Dr. Marc Terebelo and Dr. Paul
Darmon, both of Farmington Hills,
and Sara Zwickl of Southfield.
Beth Nadis, a graduate of Hillel
Day School of Metropolitan Detroit
in Farmington Hills, has been known
to read Torah or chant a haftorah and
their son Ben, 17, has read Torah and
led the minyan.
Rubenstein constantly prods his
entire flock to participate in other
ways. For example, he often poses
questions to the congregants during
his sermons, working the crowd for
provocative answers from his center-
of-the-room perch on the bimah.
In addition, the rabbi created a

format for laypeople to deliver their
own d'var Torah lessons in place of his
sermons, and he leads numerous adult
education classes, including a weekly
shuir (discourse) prior to Shabbat
morning services.
But it is the membership's participa-
tion in prayer and song — both lead-
ing it and joining in — that is a Beth
Ahm tradition throughout the year
and at each High Holiday season.
And it has become a tradition in the
Nadis and Lupovitch families to raise
their voices in song from the bimah
this time of year, year after year. What
they may not realize is that their fam-
ily tradition is actually a major part of
the holiday tradition, year after year,
of hundreds of their fellow Beth Ahm
members.

❑

Dr. Beth Nadis and son Ben have also read

Torah and led services at Beth Ahm.