A special musical celebration will be held at Temple Beth-El of Great Neck on Friday, May 31, at 7 p.m. As is customary on the last erev Shabbat of each month, the Torah will be read.
Sponsored by the Susan Stumer Cultural Arts Fund, Temple Beth-El will officially welcome its new cantorial soloist, Stephanie Horowitz-Mulry, accompanied by The Shabbatones on clarinet, drums and bass, along with pianist Shy Kedmi.
During this musical service, the Susan Stumer Cultural Arts Fund will be dedicated, followed by an enhanced Oneg Shabbat sponsored by her husband, Mark Stumer, who envisioned this new fund to support innovative music and cultural arts programs for the Temple Beth-El community.
“The Susan Stumer Cultural Arts Fund is an incredible gift by the Stumer family and their dear friends to honor Susan’s beautiful legacy,” explained Rabbi A. Brian Stoller. “Our Shabbat service on May 31 with our new cantorial soloist, Stephanie Horowitz-Mulry, and The Shabbatones will be an inspiring tribute to Susan Stumer’s passion for music and an energetic launch of a robust schedule of musical and cultural arts experiences that will enrich the lives of our members and the broader Great Neck community. We are deeply grateful to Mark and the Stumer family for making this possible.”
The late Susan Stumer was an important part of Temple Beth-El’s choir who felt strongly that her children had a powerful connection to the synagogue.
“Temple Beth-El has been a constant presence in our family’s important celebrations—from baby-naming ceremonies to nursery school and bar and bat mitzvahs to weddings,” her daughter Ylana said. “We hope the new Susan Stumer Cultural Arts Fund will serve as a lasting tribute to our mom’s passion for the arts. The arts were such an important part of her life, and she would be so honored to serve as a catalyst for fostering creativity and cultural enrichment in our community.”
Her love for music, singing and the arts was extremely meaningful to Susan and to her family. She performed all over the world as well as at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, but her singing at the family’s significant life-changing occasions was extraordinary for everyone.
“Mom always kept music, theater and the arts in her life. Her message to all of us was ‘Find what brings you joy and pursue it,’ ” recalled her daughter Allison. “She would be thrilled to support education in the arts in our community in her honor. She knew that music, art and creativity could be therapeutic and could contribute to one’s own well-being. That’s why I think she would want others to have the opportunity to experience it in their lives and obtain the same inner peace she did. On the week she passed, even knowing what was ahead, she was smiling and at peace when she sang.”
Susan’s son, Scott, added: “Maybe the Susan Stumer Cultural Arts Fund will help encourage someone with a casual interest in music to find a greater love and involvement. If a few children and adults find greater involvement in music and take it more seriously, she would be so overjoyed that music had an effect on their lives. Maybe someone out there is quiet about their interest. Maybe this can be what will help them find their passion, too.”
The community is welcome to be part of this musical evening.
Founded in 1928, the peninsula’s first synagogue is located at 5 Old Mill Road in Great Neck. To learn more, visit www.tbegreatneck.org, email info@tbegreatneck.org or call 516-487-0900.