Volunteer of the Month: Cantor Jonathan Grant

Why do you volunteer for the ACC? How do you make time for it in your busy schedule?

I don’t volunteer, I was volunteered. That’s the way it is for most of us, I think. Someone calls you from a committee, usually a friend, and then you can’t say no! Back in ’04 before the San Diego convention, Arlene Bernstein called me. She was one year ahead of me at HUC. She is a good friend and lives an hour away in San Diego. Arlene said, “I’d like you to put together the concerts and you won’t have to work alone.” “Oy gevalt”, I thought. But how can you say no to your colleagues, your organization, your friends? Then last year, Mark Childs, who is practically my brother, called from Santa Barbara and implored me to be the Western Regional representative on the ACC Nominations Committee. How can you say no to helping out your family?

I’m fortunate I have a lot of late mornings free. It’s a good time to call the east coast. It’s not that difficult to be on the nomination committee because Mark Childs is really organized so the calls are just an hour. No one’s too busy in a week to make a one hour call for their colleagues. I also volunteer for AIPAC and their Synagogue Initiative program. It involves reaching out to clergy and getting synagogue involvement through the clergy. They also have clergy-only sessions at their conferences. I believe AIPAC is the best way to ensure Israel continues to receive billions in funding from the US government and that motivates me to help out.

What projects are you currently involved in with the ACC? What past involvements have given you exceptional memories?

One exceptional memory was the ‘04 convention and working with Arlene Bernstein and Michal Schiff-Matter. Also it was a huge thrill to sing the opening piece at the ’03 convention in New York City at the 92nd St. Y with orchestra and a huge choir. Now I’m going with 19 colleagues to Rome for a conference on Jewish-Catholic relations. Roz Barak and Claire Franco have prepared an all-Jewish concert including cantorial and liturgical music and psalms – mostly in Hebrew, a little English and parts of Psalm 116 composed half in Hebrew and half in Latin by Erik Contzius. The concert is all choral; there will be no stand alone solos. We will be performing as a unified group. It’s a historic moment since it’s the first time a cantorial concert has ever been performed in a Roman Catholic church in Italy.

How do you try to inspire young people?

I pray chadesh yameinu k’kedem.” I first have to renew my days. I first have to find my energy and passion for whatever it is. For example, I reinvented our junior choir based on the TV show “Glee.” I call it “Gleekim” and it’s comprised of 3rd through 7the grade students. I have a teen choreographer and a teen guitarist and our associate rabbi, Gersh Zylberman is excellent on keyboards. They rehearse on Sunday during music time for the upper grades. Kids are inspired when they see the cantor excited about something new and bringing it to them with energy and passion.

What do you like to do completely unrelated to your cantorate?

Motorcycling! I love our local roads and especially the central coast of California. I rode as a kid and I got back into it about six years ago. I’m also a wine collector. My wife Sharyn and I like tastings, seminars, and trips connected with wine. I exercise a lot and enjoy the California climate by doing outdoor activities. And since the town we live in is on the beach in practically a resort area, anytime away from temple is a vacation in itself! I feel truly blessed.