Notes from Cantor Avima

When I was trying to think of a Jewish inspirational  quote for my article, I was reminded of something that I heard from Sheila Adler. Sheila Adler was one of the most successful  Jewish educators I have been privileged to work with.  She received her Masters Degree of Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1986 and served as the President of the Jewish Educators Assembly. She was the Religious School Education Director at Bet Torah in Mt. Kisco,  NY where I served as the Cantor. Sheila always used to say : "There are no problems, only challenges". It was from her that I learned to reframe  "problems",  as challenges to overcome, opportunities for correction, improvement and growth. I hear her voice still today whenever I am confronted by a difficulty in my personal or professional life. Now that we are finally on the other side of the month long series of holidays, I look forward to moving forward to returning to my "to do list" of the projects, challenges and  areas requiring improvement. Sheila passed away in 2019. May her memory be for a blessing and may her teaching continue to inspire.