CONGREGATION SHERITH ISRAEL CLERGY
Cantor Rita Glassman grew up on the east coast in a strongly observant traditional Jewish home. Her parents stressed the importance of Jewish education and Jewish values and as a young girl, Rita attended Jewish Day School, Yeshiva High School and Massad Summer Camp. As a camper, Rita became very active as a composer and singer of Jewish music, often teaching and leading others in song while accompanying herself on guitar. She studied piano for 12 years and spent her Junior Year of college in Jerusalem attending the Rubin Academy of Music. Her passion for music and Judaism led her to the Cantorate and a degree in sacred music from the Hebrew Union College in New York City. More recently Rita completed the Cantorial program of the Institute of Jewish Spirituality furthering her knowledge and interest in Jewish meditation, text study, and a deeper understanding of the healing and transformative power of communal prayer.
Cantor Glassman has served congregations in New York, Pennsylvania, and Iowa and since 1986, synagogues in the Bay area. She has also sung and taught in the Progressive synagogues in Argentina and Brazil since 2004 and is on the Yad B'Yad Task Force of the World Union for Progressive Judaism. In addition to her work as a Cantor, Rita is known as a composer and recording artist. Her CD's include "Coming Into Light", "Walk With Me" and "Love Songs". She can also be heard on the audiocassette "The Song of Songs" with narrators Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker and her composition "Shema" is on the CD "Sacred World Chants", an interfaith, cross cultural CD of chant. Her current CD is "Journey To Shabbat," a recording in Congregation Sherith Israel's historical sanctuary of contemporary Jewish prayer melodies accompanied by three extraordinary musicians (
order here).
Cantor Glassman has proudly served Congregation Sherith Israel since July, 2003 and feels blessed to carry on the honorable legacy of her immediate predecessor, Cantor Martin Feldman, and the Cantors who served before him.