Richard Kaplan
Cantor
Temple Beth Abraham
Oakland, California
Age: 66
Nominated by: Rabbi Marc Bloom
Song: “Birkat Kohanim,” Liturgy
As a seeker of wisdom and a musician whose main spiritual practice has been Judaism for the past 30 years, Jewish sacred music has been utterly central to my life. This music’s power to create an expanded soulfulness, along with the integration of kabbalistic and Hasidic teachings within it, has been profoundly transformational for me. Over the past 18 years, my two communities, Temple Beth Abraham of Oakland and the Shir HaShirim Minyan of Berkeley, have responded very positively to my introducing a wide range of Mizrahi, Ashkenazi and Sephardic musical gems, as well as countless original compositions — several of which aim at supporting a “deep ecumenism.” Shir HaShirim sparked an explosion of musical Erev Shabbat services in the San Francisco Bay Area when we began in 1997. — Richard Kaplan
INFLUENCES: From childhood, I have been blessed to immerse myself in our planet’s musical abundance: from the Yiddish music and hazanut of my family, to R&B and cutting-edge jazz, to classical and early music. In college, I spent years in ethnomusicological studies, there embracing (and eventually teaching about) the music of almost every culture on earth, including the Jewish musical traditions of Spain, Morocco, Turkey, Yemen, Afghanistan, Bukhara, Jerusalem and Europe.
I’m personally matching all gifts to the Forward, up to $36,000. Can I match your gift now?
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
