A June 26-28 celebration will honor Rabbi Cy Stanway’s 10th anniversary as religious leader at Temple Beth Miriam.
Photo by Jill Huber
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April 28, 2009
When Rabbi Cy Stanway met with members of Temple Beth Miriam in Elberon in 1998, he felt an instant connection to the people and place. The Reform temple was searching for a successor to Rabbi Joseph Goldman, who was retiring after 30 years, and Stanway sensed he had found a new home.
“I thought they really wanted what I had to offer,” he said. “And since I got here, there has not been one program, course, or idea that has been nixed. The support from the lay leadership and congregation has been unbelievable. They’ve made the years pass as quickly as a moment.”
During the past decade, the relationship between rabbi and congregants has continued to grow, and from June 26 to 28, Beth Miriam will celebrate Stanway’s 10th anniversary as religious leader with a weekend of music and social awareness.
Peri Smilow, a nationally known singer, songwriter, educator, and community organizer, will be the artist-in-residence. Her original acoustical music conveys a message of social justice and peace, dovetailing with Stanway’s own commitment to these principles, said Melissa Peck, who is cochairing the event committee with Paula Rowland.
“The weekend will embrace Rabbi Cy’s passion for music, education, and interest in the congregation’s children,” said Peck of Wayside. “His commitment to sharing the message of Judaism with all generations has never wavered.”
Smilow, who lives in South Orange, will participate in all weekend events, which include, on Friday evening, services followed by a musical oneg Shabbat and a program for the temple’s youth group members. A musical workshop will be held for the temple’s Sisterhood and the Men of TBM groups on Saturday, and in the evening Smilow will perform in a concert for adults that will also include dinner and a silent auction. A Sunday concert and barbecue are also scheduled.
The silent auction has a new twist, said Rowland, also of Wayside; instead of donated merchandise, it will consist of “services” to be rendered by Beth Miriam members. So far, donations include a fishing trip, a salon treatment, a wine-tasting session, lessons for new mah-jongg players, and a VIP tour of the Major League Baseball Network in Secaucus.
“But we need more services for the auction,” Rowland said. “We need more of our members to offer their special talents.”
The proceeds from a commemorative ad journal being compiled and the other fund-raising activities will be used for the structural renovation of the temple’s religious school, she added.
Musician Peri Smilow will be the artist-in-residence during Beth Miriam’s celebration of Rabbi Cy Stanway’s 10 years with the temple.
Photo courtesy Peri Smilow
“The school is an investment in the future,” said Rowland. “The congregation wants to maintain a strong foundation for the continued growth and education of our families, their children, and grandchildren.”
The weekend events will appeal to every congregational demographic, which is a fitting tribute to Stanway, said Peck.
“He has touched everyone,” she said. “That’s what makes him and our temple so special.”
‘Make holy moments’
Stanway, who was born in Toronto and came to Beth Miriam after eight years at Temple Beth El in Las Cruces, NM, graduated from York University in Toronto and was ordained at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati in 1987. His time at Beth Miriam has been a blessing for him and his family, he said: his wife, Stella Jeruzalmi Stanway, is the religious school director, and the couple’s children, Abraham, 19, Naomi, 17, and SaraAnn, 12, have developed a lasting sense of their Jewish identity.
“The congregation is so dynamic that it took a lot less than 10 years to build a level of trust between us,” he said. “I always felt they knew I would do my best for them.”
Stanway, an accomplished guitarist, includes live music in Shabbat services and is often joined on the pulpit by other congregant musicians. He has created an on-line temple newsletter and his sermons will soon be available on-line as well. Besides traditional teachings, Stanway has introduced classes that explore Jewish influences in books, poetry, and film.
A capital campaign from 2004-2006 raised $2.6 million for the renovation of the temple building, a project that resulted from efforts of “incredibly generous” members of the 325-family congregation, he said.
“Every day gives me a chance to make holy moments,” said Stanway. “This temple encourages the spirit of giving and I see it flower and grow. My rabbinate has always sought to make Torah real and joyful in every conversation, in every service, and through wonderment that comes from sharing and studying the tremendous wisdom of our ancestors.”
Additional event information is available from the temple office at 732-222-3754.
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