Adath Emanu-El in Mt. Laurel will celebrate its 60th Anniversary during the Fourth Annual Rabbi Richard A. Levine Kehillah Award Gala on Saturday, April 27, at Adath Emanu-El at 6:30 p.m.
This even is named for Rabbi Richard A. Levine and the Jewish morals and values Adath Emanu-El officials say Levine passed on to the congregation through his 46 years of teaching, actions and his rabbinical life.
“The 60th anniversary of our congregation’s founding is a major milestone for us and the Jewish community of South Jersey,” Adath Emanu-El’s Rabbi Benjamin David said. “From modest beginnings, Adath Emanu-El has grown into a thriving synagogue, bringing countless families over the years closer to Torah, tradition and the realities of modern-day Israel. I am so thrilled that we can celebrate this rite-of-passage as a congregational family and continue to work to create a congregational home that has our kids experience a Judaism that is warm, welcoming and their own.”
The gala will also honor Cantor Sandi Messinger, the synagogue’s Cantorial Soloist for 18 years. Officials say she is receiving the 2019 Kehillah Award because she “truly embodies the values and commitment to family, Adath Emanu-El, and the greater Jewish community” that the late Rabbi Richard Levine exemplified.
In speaking about the upcoming gala and her award, Messinger said Adath Emanu-El has been a part of her life for the last 43 years, and she was blessed that the last 18 of those years have been as the Cantor.
“There aren’t words to express how grateful I am to the congregation for selecting me for the 2019 Kehillah Award,” Messinger said. “I can’t believe that I’m being honored for doing what I love in a place I love. For me, Adath really is a place to grow and to give back. It’s a joy to lead the children during Hebrew school, to grow a choir and youth choir, and to lead the congregation in song and prayer.”
Messinger also said she hopes those with Adath Emanu-El continue to grow and learn together.
“I hope that we continue to support the next generations and that we stay open to finding new ways to help them connect to their own Judaism,” Messinger. “I’m excited to be a part of that.”
Adath Emanu-El’s history dates back to its founding in 1959 in Willingboro, by five families. The congregation quickly grew, and Levine was installed in October 1964 as the congregation’s first permanent Rabbi.
Levine continued to lead at Adath when, in 1997, they moved to their current home in Mt. Laurel. He even led the relay walk to their new home with over 200 congregants.
Rabbi Levine retired in 2005 and passed away in February 2014.
Platt Memorial Chapels Inc., MOAT Services and K. Hovnanian Homes are all Lead Sponsors of the Fourth Annual Rabbi Richard A. Levine Kehillah Award Gala.
For more information and to attend the Gala, call Adath Emanu-El at (856) -608-1200 or visit https://www.adathemanuel.com/.
