By Sarah Reymond
CLEVELAND — From coordinating family gatherings to making sure the household has tickets for services, the High Holy Days involve preparation. Choir members have music to rehearse also, and for some of them who are not Jewish, new traditions to learn that become a part of their lives.
Cantor Kathryn Wolfe Sebo of The Temple-Tifereth Israel in Beachwood and Cleveland works with two High Holiday choirs to cover Selichot and multiple Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services at the temple’s Beachwood and University Circle locations. She has hired non-Jews to sing in professional High Holy Days choirs for many years. When she previously worked at a Conservative congregation, Sebo said the non-Jewish men immediately put on kipot (skullcaps) when entering the synagogue. “They always treat the service and liturgy with respect,” said Sebo.
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