3 minute read
Temple Kol Ami Welcomes Rabbi Aft and Cantor Thomas for High Holidays
September 2024
By Shari Baum
The Days of Awe are just a month away! Temple Kol Ami of Fort Mill, South Carolina, invites you to join us for the High Holidays. We welcome back Rabbi Bruce Aft of Springfield, Virginia, to lead us in meaningful and uplifting prayer once again. This year, we are especially excited that Cantor Mary Rebecca Thomas will also be with us, lending her beautiful voice to our Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur services.
Rabbi Aft is wonderfully engaging and has conducted our High Holiday services for the last four years, as well as leading periodic Shabbat, holiday, and b’nei mitzvah services. He has helped to inspire our congregation during both joyous and difficult times with his timely and powerful messages. Rabbi Aft grew up in the Chicago suburbs where he developed a love of Judaism and baseball. From 1991 until his “retirement” in 2020, he was the spiritual leader at Adat Reyim in Springfield, Virginia. Currently, in addition to his work with Temple Kol Ami, he is a visiting scholar and adjunct professor at George Mason University’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. He remains an ardent Chicago White Sox fan and enjoys incorporating pop music lyrics in his sermons.
Cantor Mary Rebecca Thomas was ordained in 2011 from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion’s cantorial school, Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. Cantor Thomas is currently the director of placement for the American Conference of Cantors and previously served Temple Beth El in Charlotte, North Carolina from 2011-2023. She is passionate about Jewish history, music, worship, and helping to build the community within which people can lead meaningful, fulfilling lives engaged in Jewish tradition. Cantor Thomas is wife to Matthew and mom to Johannah and Ezra. In her spare time, she enjoys performing in local musical theater. She will also be leading Shabbat services at Temple Kol Ami with more regularity in the coming year.
Attendance at Temple Kol Ami’s High Holiday services is included in Temple membership. Tickets including all services and our delicious Break Fast are also available to non-members for purchase. As always, college students and active-duty military members may join us for free. All services take place at Philadelphia United Methodist Church, 1691 SC-160, Fort Mill. For more information on purchasing tickets and a complete schedule for the High Holidays, please check out our website www.templekolamisc.org, or contact us at yorksynagogue@ gmail.com.
Additionally, it is not too late to enroll your child in religious school at Temple Kol Ami which starts on Sept. 8. For more information, contact tka. religiousschool@gmail.com.
It is imperative now more than ever to be part of a Jewish community. If you are looking for that Jewish home, especially during the Days of Awe, we welcome you to celebrate with us. Temple Kol Ami is a warm and welcoming Reform congregation made up of Jews from diverse religious backgrounds. We wish you a sweet, peaceful, and prosperous New Year! Shanah Tova!
