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Freehold Jewish Center Professional Staff |
"Come visit us so that we can welcome you to our family, and we can become
a part of yours."
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Phone: (732) 462-0254 Rabbi Kenneth Greene came to Freehold Jewish
Center in August of 1997. Born in the Boston area, Rabbi Greene attended
Brandeis University where he received his B.A. in Near Eastern and Judaic
Studies.
Cantor David B. Katchen
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Cantor David B. Katchen has been the Cantor of our Congregation since August. Cantor Katchen, a descendant of Cantors and pious Torah scholars, was influenced at an early age by his father, Cantor Jacob Katchen, and his mother, an accomplished pianist. Steeped in the heritage and aura of Yiddishkeit, he was grateful for the Yiddish spoken to him by his maternal grandmother, the Torah and Haftarah teachings of his paternal grandmother, and the beautiful “Niggunim” (melodies) and nostalgic recollections imparted to him by his paternal grandfather, who sat at his dining room table wearing a Hamburg (hat) while studying. Occasionally, members of the family would recall the legacy of his great-grandfather, after whom Cantor Katchen is named - a distinguished gentleman - extremely pious - who not only sported a virgin beard but also refrained from conversation on Shabbat. Cantor Katchen received an early indoctrination into the vast spectrum of Hazzanut (artistry of Cantorial chant) from his late father who taught him by example, shared with him many of the famous recordings of great Cantors, and instructed him in the traditional Nusah HaT’filah (prescribed modes of prayer) as well as Trup (Cantillations of the Tanach - Bible), well before his becoming a Bar Mitzvah. His mother, of blessed memory, was the one who saw to his piano playing, taking him to lessons and playing the selections he was practicing, to encourage his progress. Obviously, the Katchen home was ensconced in music and customs, perpetuating and sustaining traditions cherished for many generations. Cantor Katchen was privileged to attend the world-renowned Yeshivah of Flatbush, receiving an education filled with dogmas of Modern Orthodoxy, the spirit of Israel, the essence of Judaica, and the thorough scope of Ivrit, the Hebrew language. After attending, the University of Maryland, Cantor Katchen studied at the Cantorial School of the Jewish Theological Seminary receiving the Diploma of Hazzan and Bachelor of Sacred Music. Two of the Cantors whom he studied with were the late Cantor Max Wohlberg, the noted scholar of Nusah and Hazzanut, and the late Cantor David Kusevitsky, whose extraordinary artistry places him among the foremost of his generation. It is understandable that Cantor Katchen has considered the synagogue his home away from home, as it has been so close to his heart, body and soul. Coincidentally, he has always lived close to his shul and lived across the street or later just around the corner from his father’s shul. Now, a resident of Philadelphia, it takes a bit longer. Cantor Katchen has shared most of his career with his wife, Alice, and has taken pride in the accomplishments of their three children and five grandchildren. Coming from serving Oxford Circle Jewish Community Centre-Brith Israel in Philadelphia for over twenty years and, most recently, Congregation Ahavat Shalom in Lakewood, Cantor Katchen continues to enjoy the pleasure and improvisation of standing on the Bimah, dovining and leading his congregation in the chants and melodies that have brought unity, strength, comfort, and exhilaration to the Jewish people for centuries.
Marvin Krakower, Executive
Director
Carole Kane, Secretary
Carole Kane brings a diverse and interesting
background to the synagogue. She spent seven years in the financial
industry, ten years in the medical field, and eight years in the building
and construction field. She has been an executive secretary, a hospital
department manager, a marriage counselor, a published author, and a master
water fitness instructor. She earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees along
the way, and is now enjoying the sweetest part of her career – the Freehold
Jewish Center family.
Rachelle Lederman, Bookkeeper
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