Jewish Chapel Choir at the White House tonight

Colleges & Universities United States Military Academy - West Point
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<p>The Jewish Choir performed for the President’s Hannukah party. This is a very diverse group with many cadets who aren’t Jewish but enjoy singing with the choir. My cadet called this tonight to say that the experience was amazing. Twenty cadets attended. They arrived early and had a bit of trouble getting through the security metal detectors. It had something to do with a bunch of brass buttons. :slight_smile: They had a short tour, had some practice time, met the President and First Lady, then got to mingle with the guests. He gave a speech and thanked the cadets for their service. She was thrilled that he made eye contact with her. They also ate dinner there.</p>

<p>She also said that they sounded awfully good when they sang - even better than usual. Everybody was taking their pictures, telling them how beautifully they sang and thanking them for their service. Television crews were there so we may see them on the late night news. The funniest part of this is that I asked her what news channels were there. She hesitated and said, “CBS? or CNN? I’m not sure, other than there were so many cameras”. So I asked her to check with the other cadets on the bus. She said that she couldn’t because every single person was on a cell phone. :smiley: No doubt!</p>

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<p>Mazel tov!</p>

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<p>Thanks, LFWB dad!</p>

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<p>Here’s a link to the President’s speech of this evening.</p>

<p><a href=“Briefing Room | The White House”>Briefing Room | The White House;

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<p>Take a look at the 12/19 issue of U.S. News & World Report which came out this week. Great picture of the Choir at the White House on page 19.</p>

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<p>HOW DID I MISS THIS MOM!? I KNEW I should have written down the dates. Did they televise any of it? How exciting for these kids to have sang in such hallowed halls! And to have dined there too! Wow! A little something for their life memory book to be sure. Sigh… I can’t believe I missed this thread. Going to look tomorrow for the US news magazine for sure. I’m so happy they got to experience such a grand event. Pry the details out of her when she’s home for the break!! Impressive choir and wish all the kids the best for upcoming performances. May there be many many more!</p>

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<p>momoftwins…</p>

<p>wow, you must be proud indeed…congratulations to your daughter!</p>

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<p>Thanks, pm. You bet I am. And we’ve bought just about every copy of US News & World Report available in Illinois. :wink: They already have quite a few bookings for next semester.</p>

<p>I feel obliged to repeat that it was a great experience for these cadets to sing at the White House and meet the President. However, the diversity of the Choir members is the real story. Although only 22 (I made a mistake in my original post) members made this trip, there are more. The Choir has members of different races, religions and nationalities - and they all get along and respect each other’s differences. I wish we could have more of this in the world.</p>

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<p>From the West Point newspaper, Pointer View…</p>

<p>‘Harmony’ reigns supreme for diverse choir </p>

<p>By Spc. Benjamin Gruver
Staff Writer </p>

<p>President George Bush looks on as Cadet 1st Class Lee Roberts leads the Jewish Cadet Choir in singing “Mi Yimalel” during a Menorah lighting ceremony at the White House Dec. 6. The choir is made up of a religiously dicerse group of cadets. As they stand in front of you singing, you can’t help noticing some distinct differences among the group members.</p>

<p>First, there are men and women, the age-old difference. Then as you begin to notice the colors of the rainbow arrayed before you it begins to dawn on you that not all the members of West Point’s Jewish Cadet Choir are actually Jewish.</p>

<p>There are actually about 70 Jews in West Point’s 4,000- member cadet population, but choir members said their group is tight. They attend Friday night services and go to gatherings and appearances together.
“I find that spending time with people of other faiths strengthens my own faith and broadens my cultural experiences,” said Cadet 3rd Class Stefanie Keck, a nondenominational Christian.</p>

<p>Many of the members joined the choir during cadet basic training, either through friendship or need. For one cadet in particular, that need opened the door to the welcoming atmosphere of the Jewish Chapel.</p>

<p>“My squad leader was Jewish and when he found out my services weren’t available on Fridays, he suggested I go to Jewish services instead,” said Cadet 2nd Class Lee Roberts.</p>

<p>Roberts, a Muslim and the choir conductor, said the Jewish community members welcomed him and he ended up joining the choir toward the end of his plebe year. </p>

<p>“I think Chaplain Huerta deserves much of the credit for the diversity of the choir, because he has created an atmosphere that is welcoming to everyone,” Roberts said.</p>

<p>Maj. Carlos Huerta, 52, West Point’s Jewish Chaplain, is known to the cadets as “Rabbi Hoo-ah,” one of his favorite phrases when greeting Soldiers or answering the phone.</p>

<p>“The choir members welcome anyone interested in practicing with them,” said Susan Schwartz, the officer-in-charge of the choir. “The non-Jewish members in turn learn to respect the Jewish traditions.</p>

<p>“That, in turn, creates an atmosphere of mutual respect,” she added.</p>

<p>Learning about the Jewish faith is exactly why Cadet 4th Class Matt Supan joined the choir. The 22-year-old, who studied Christianity and Buddhism before coming to West Point, said he has always been interested in other religions.</p>

<p>“Part of the reason I joined the choir was because I really had no idea about the Jewish faith and I wanted to see what it was all about,” Supan explained.</p>

<p>He said although he knew the choir was open to non-Jewish people, he couldn’t believe what a welcoming, positive atmosphere the group created.</p>

<p>“When we get together to sing or hang out, our own religion doesn’t matter,” Supan said. “We’re just a group of friends spending time together.”</p>

<p>That togetherness paid off, Huerta said, at the group’s last appearance – at the President’s annual Hanukah Reception at the White House.</p>

<p>“Most of these young people have no musical backgrounds, but they are willing to work hard and sing together and that paid off during the White House performance,” Huerta said.</p>

<p>After singing the song “Mi Yimalel,” during the Menorah lighting portion of the ceremony, the group was joined by the president and Mrs. Bush for a photo op.</p>

<p>After the pictures were taken, the president took the time to thank the group.</p>

<p>“He took a good two minutes of his time to thank us and looked us right in the eyes,” said the cadet-in-charge of the choir, Cadet 1st Class Lorintz Gleich. “That was probably the best part of the ceremony, looking him in the eye.”</p>

<p>The choir then sang as the 500 guests arrived and then they were invited to join the reception.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.pointerview.com/harmony.htm[/url]”>http://www.pointerview.com/harmony.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>What a wonderful experience!</p>