24 | MARCH 10 • 2022
and bring it into the future,
”
which Berris did by welcoming
women into the group, creating
a new blended sound for “the
singing congregation,
” he said.
The choir was still going strong
when he retired.
Replacing Cantor Louis
Klein, B’nai Moshe’s beloved
long-time cantor, was a chal-
lenge, but Berris already knew
a lot of the congregants and
immediately felt at home. He
had a good working relation-
ship with Klein. “Cantor Klein
made it easy on me,
” said Berris.
Berris, who has composed
many original melodies that are
sung in synagogues around the
world, was careful not to make
any major changes right away.
He would sneak a few of his
tunes into the service here and
there, interspersing them with
those the congregation was used
to from Cantor Klein.
“
After a while, everyone
thought they were Cantor
Klein’s songs,
” he said. One
congregant admired a melody,
saying “I’ve been singing this for
40 years.
”
Ilana Berris, a retired Hillel
Day School teacher, chaired the
synagogue’s education commit-
tee and taught in its religious
school.
“It was a good partnership for
the congregation,
” he said.
For most of his years at B’nai
Moshe, Berris, who turns 70 on
March 19, worked with Rabbi
Elliot Pachter, who is now the
congregation’s rabbi emeritus
and rabbinic adviser at Frankel
Hebrew Academy.
“From the first time we met,
Cantor Berris and I clicked
personally and professionally,
”
Pachter said. “He and I, and
our families, became friends. I
was honored to officiate at his
daughters’ bat mitzvah services,
and Cantor Berris was my sons’
bar mitzvah teacher. When his
older daughter married, I was
the officiating rabbi, and one of
my sons was a witness.
“We worked so well together,
quickly learned and respected
each other’s styles, and got
to the point where we could
almost read each other’s minds.
”
Pachter is particularly proud
of two projects he worked on
with Berris. One was the 2001:
Shabbat Odyssey series held on
summer Friday nights, where
the cantor introduced lively new
tunes. “The ruach (spirit) was
great that summer,
” he said.
The second was a customized
prayer book, Siddur Tefillah
l’Moshe, created in 2008, that
the congregation still uses every
Shabbat.
“Cantor Berris and I person-
ally proofread each word and
made sure it was exactly what
we wanted,
” he said. “For us it
was a labor of love and pride.
”
B’nai Moshe’s executive direc-
tor, Steve Fine, says, “Nothing
rattled him, and he was on top
of everything that was going on.
Once, when I had the honor of
doing hagbah (lifting the torah),
no one on the bimah, nor in
the congregation, noticed that
a chair had not been placed for
me to sit down on … with the
exception of Cantor Berris.
”
Fine also admired Berris’
skills as a bar mitzvah tutor.
“He was the most patient bar/
bat mitzvah teacher I have ever
seen,
” he said. “We shared an
office wall so I could hear his
lessons with his students.
”
If a student was having prob-
lems even a few weeks before
the event, Berris never worried
or showed anxiety, Fine said
“Somehow and some way, the
student always was ready on
their bar/bat mitzvah day.
”
The Berrises, who now live in
Commerce Township, are stick-
ing close to home during the
COVID pandemic. They enjoy
visiting their daughter, Doron
Vergun, her husband, Daniel,
and their two boys, who live
in Farmington Hills, and
they’ve been to Los Angeles
to visit their other daughter,
Leore, a writer.
“NOTHING RATTLED HIM, AND HE WAS ON TOP OF
EVERYTHING THAT WAS GOING ON.”
— STEVE FINE
OUR COMMUNITY
continued from page 23
ABOVE: Cantor Earl Berris served B’nai Moshe for 23 years recently retired.
Fifteen area cantors will come together
at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 20, to honor
Earl Berris’ 23 years as the cantor at
Congregation B’nai Moshe.
Donor Wall contributors are invited to
attend the Cantor Earl Berris Retirement
Concert in person in the synagogue’s
sanctuary. Others can view the concert
on Zoom or YouTube.
The concert will include performances
by Deborah Bletsein, Hilary Blair, Rachel
Gottlieb Kalmowitz, Tiffany Green, Samuel
Greenbaum, Daniel Gross, Steve Klaper,
Frank Lanzkron-Tamarazo, Neil Michaels,
Zach Mondrow, Kelly Onickel, David
Propis, Pamela Schiffer, Michael Smolsh
and Penny Steyer. The cantors will be
accompanied by Cliff Monear.
For more information, visit www.bnai-
moshe.org.
Cantorial Concert Will Honor Berris on Retirement