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 at Park Ave Synagogue, Manhattan |
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This year we will be honoring the following extraordinary Jewish leaders : |
Rabbi Jules & Navah Harlow  Rabbi Harlow, Founding Editor of The Rabbinical
Assembly, specializes in translating and editing Jewish prayer, with
the goal of making the poetic beauty of the liturgy available to the
non-Hebrew reader. He has composed and adapted prayers which respond to
modern events in Jewish history. His prayer books include Mahzor for
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and Siddur Sim Shalom. He is Literary
Editor of the Torah Commentary Etz Hayim, and a translator of S.Y
Agnon. His interview of I.B. Singer on NBC TV was nominated for an
Emmy. In the late nineteen-nineties he served as Rabbi of The Great
Synagogue in Stockholm (which recently affiliated with Masorti Olami).
During those years, with his wife Navah, he organized and conducted a
Dialogue on Tolerance, with Jewish and non-Jewish high school students
in Stockholm and Warsaw.
Navah Harlow is Founding Director of the Center for
Ethics in Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. Her
groundbreaking work in end-of-life care, medical advance directives,
and the right to self-determination has been widely acknowledged here
and abroad. Her curriculum guide for doctors, Speaking with Families of
Seriously Ill Patients, has been distributed to teaching hospitals
throughout the United States. She was instrumental in establishing the
first hospice under Jewish auspices in Manhattan. For many years she
co-chaired The International Congress of Ethics in Medicine, sponsored
by Beth Israel Medical Center, The Karolinska Institute, and Ben Gurion
Medical Center. Her sensitivity to diverse cultures and her fluency in
five languages have been an asset in working with Masorti Olami
communities.
Since 2005, the Harlows have been teaching a group of b'nei anousim in
Lisbon, helping these descendants of Jews forcibly baptized by the
Inquisition return to Jewish tradition through halachic conversion.
They are also teaching Masorti kehillot in Madrid and Valencia. |
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Cantor Nancy Abramson
 Nancy Abramson has served as cantor at the Park Avenue Synagogue since
July, 1997. She has dedicated her career to sharing the highest levels
of cantorial art with her community, through davening, performance and
education. She is a cum laude graduate of the combined program of
Columbia University and The Jewish Theological Seminary, and a member
of Phi Beta Kappa. She earned a master's degree in music education
from Columbia University's Teachers College. Cantor Abramson received
her cantorial training at the Jewish Theological Seminary.
Cantor Abramson is a vice president of the Cantors Assembly, the first
female officer in the Assembly's history. She serves on the executive
board of the Zamir Choral Foundation and is a member of the Women
Cantors Network. Her previous pulpits were at West End Synagogue in
Manhattan and Congregation Sons of Israel in Westchester. She has
taught prayer and synagogue skills at the Abraham Joshua Heschel
School, and has directed the music program at Camp Ramah.
Cantor Abramson has sung on the stages of Carnegie Hall and Avery
Fisher Hall, at the North American Jewish Choral Festival with the
Selah Vocal Ensemble, and throughout Israel with the Rinat Choir. She
studies voice with Ray Evans Harrell.
Cantor Abramson was born and raised in Milwaukee. She began her Jewish
musical career in the children's choir at her synagogue, and attended
the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music.
Cantor Abramson is married to Mitch Glenn. They have three children, Arielle, Molly and Ezra, who all sing beautifully.
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Mr. Michael Abadi
 Michael grew up in Bogota, Colombia and obtained his undergraduate
degree in Chemical Engineering there. He then moved to the US to attend
graduate school and obtained a Master's Degree in Chemical Engineering
at MIT, followed by an MBA at Stanford University.
A natural entrepreneur, throughout his professional and personal life
Michael has always worked in areas that enable him to stay close to his
roots in Latin America; he believes the Jewish Communities worldwide
have a lot in common, but also a lot to learn from each other. For the
past few years, Michael has enjoyed working at the Federation of Jewish
Men's Clubs in addition to Masorti Olami, acting as a special liaison
for the Latin America region and building lay leadership and
co-operation programs for the communities there.
For many years Michael has dedicated an enormous amount of both
business and personal travel time to visiting Masorti congregations,
and has established excellent working relationships with rabbis, lay
leaders and young adults in 15 countries. Through all of these visits
and endeavors, he is helping to develop the future leadership of the
Masorti movement in Latin America.
Michael currently lives in Charlotte, NC, and has been married to his
lovely wife Denise for 25 years. They have two children, Sara and Mark,
who live in New York and Chapel Hill, NC respectively.
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We hope you will participate and will encourage your friends and colleagues
to join us in honoring these outstanding individuals.
For more information, to purchase tickets or ads, or to make a donation, please visit www.masortiworld.org/tribute2009
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