Cantor Schiffer served as Cantor for Congregation Shaarey Zedek for eighteen years, retiring in June, 2017.
She happily remains part of the congregation as Cantor Emerita.
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, she began her Cantorial studies with Cantor William Sharlin at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles. She also mentored there with Cantor Samuel Kelemer. She received her cantorial certification through the Cantors Assembly, served on its Executive Council and as chair of the Great Lakes and Rivers Region of the organization, and is currently Editor of its newsletter, Sacred Sounds. She is a past President of the Michigan Board of Cantors.
Cantor Schiffer has performed throughout the United States, Canada and Europe as a soloist and recitalist in both contemporary and traditional repertoire. She was an artist member and Director of Programming for the Contemporary Music Forum in Washington D.C. for over twenty years. She has premiered over forty new works and has received a Solo Recitalists Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Her recordings are available on the CRI, Centaur, Capstone, McGill University and Naxos labels.
A graduate of Indiana University and Towson University, Ms. Schiffer moved to the Detroit area from Baltimore, Maryland where she was on the voice faculty of Loyola College and Towson University, Artistic Director of the Women Composers Orchestra, and Cantor at Temple Beth Israel in York, Pennsylvania for thirteen years.
Performances in Michigan include concerts for the Plymouth Community Arts Council, on the Ferndale Concert Series, at Wayne State University, on the Chamber Music at the Scarab Club series, with the Great Lakes Lyric Opera of Detroit, for the Brunch with Bach series at the Detroit Institute of Art, and Concerts in the Barn at Applewood (Tobermory, Ontario).
She is married to Dr. Charles Schiffer and proud grandmother of Kenzo and Kaito Schiffer, who live with their parents Josh and Chihana Schiffer in Seattle. Cats Alex and Burt bring their distinct energy to the family.
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One of the most important gifts we can give ourselves and our children is the knowledge and comfort that we are not alone. Through worship, study and tikkun olam, we affirm our support for each other. This participation and commitment, above all things, has sustained our Jewish heritage for almost 6,000 years.
In true family tradition we envision full participation by every member, where each person can discover a meaningful role. At the same time, we recognize that Judiasm is not “one size fits all”. Given the diversity of our members of various backgrounds and interests, we seek to offer an array of modes of worship, education and activities for each member.
There are many paths to community at Chai. Congregants can choose from a wide range of groups and activities, including: youth groups, Chai young adults, Havurot and Journey Groups, Men’s Club and Sisterhood, as well as synagogue-wide concerts and cultural activities.
To join our family, email our Membership Director.
One of the most important gifts we can give ourselves and our children is the knowledge and comfort that we are not alone. Through worship, study and tikkun olam, we affirm our support for each other. This participation and commitment, above all things, has sustained our Jewish heritage for almost 6,000 years.
In true family tradition we envision full participation by every member, where each person can discover a meaningful role. At the same time, we recognize that Judiasm is not “one size fits all”. Given the diversity of our members of various backgrounds and interests, we seek to offer an array of modes of worship, education and activities for each member.
There are many paths to community at Chai. Congregants can choose from a wide range of groups and activities, including: youth groups, Chai young adults, Havurot and Journey Groups, Men’s Club and Sisterhood, as well as synagogue-wide concerts and cultural activities.
To join our family, email our Membership Director.
We have two Rabbis. Rabbi Stone is our Senior Rabbi and Spiritual Leader, and Rabbi Smith is our Associate Rabbi and Director of Schools.
How many members does Chai have?
We currently have 420 families.
What do I get for my membership dues?
Oodles. On top of the regular benefits of membership like High Holy Day tickets, access to summer camps and retreats, congregation dinners and more. Our Rabbis, staff, and members will be there to support you through life’s challenges and joys. You will also be supporting our synagogue and the great programs we offer. Our members find they get back much more than they pay for.
How do I join Chai ?
Call our membership Director (555) 555.1234 and she’ll guide you through the process.
What if I can’t afford membership dues?
We have dues reductions available for anyone who needs it. Contact Wan at (555) 555.1234 for more information. No one will be turned away due to their inability to pay.
Est Lorem ipsum redditium definitionem Aristotelis “inter” quae in H & G;
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Est Lorem ipsum redditium definitionem Aristotelis “inter” quae in C & W:
Sed omnis mutatio est inter contraria et opposita sunt contradictoria aut contraria, et nihil est medium inter contradictoria est medium, sive quod “inter” duo contraria esse non potest nisi quando sunt. Si inter A et B, C transeuntem (vel loco) continua mutatione secundum naturam extremorum, necesse est ut veniat ad B in C, antequam perveniatur ad a via A. ‘Inter’ importat saltem tres terminos, et unde de transitu, unde oppositum, scilicet ‘quo’ et aliquid supra lineam loco, quo magis quam unde et ibi continue in libero, vel si non solverit cursum – vel, si tantum minimum. Dico intermissione in non tempore, sed in mutatione secundum quod est mutatio, quia solum in tempore cum diapason potest a summo note nota (quae maxima saltu vel in irritum fieri potest librae) Confestim igitur ut, sicut duo separata notes by minima excogitari medium. Quae omnia non solum autem aliae mutationes loci mutatio est. In nomine applicationem loci, unum contra aliud, si longius ab ea, in linea recta, quam quodcumque aliud individuum eiusdem ordinis res in campo sub ratio. De recta eligitur quia brevissimus est solum inter duos, unum certum locum et certum sit mensura vel regula.
Menahelet Margot, Director of Congregational Lifelong Learning (far left) with her husband, Sean, daughter, Maya, and puppy, Sprinkles.
Dr. Margot B. Valles is passionate about teaching, learning and making meaning from our rich religious tradition(s). She views her role as facilitator, providing opportunities for congregants to get more out of their connection to Judaism and Jewishness, no matter what age. She is currently pursuing rabbinic ordination through the Pluralistic Rabbinical Seminary. Before she consciously dedicated her career to Jewish learning, she was an academic with an area of expertise in Early Modern Yiddish fiction (especially knightly tales). She worked as assistant professor at Michigan State University, where she taught courses on Jewish literature and culture from 2013-2020. She has been teaching and learning at Congregation Shaarey Zedek since 2011.
She is the Menahelet (Director) of our supplemental religious school (SZRS) for school-aged children. She is also the co-director of our new community wide summer camp, Kehillat Zedek. She also organizes adult education experiences with something for everyone–from traditional classes on unconventional topics (like “Holy Harlotry”!) to “Lunch’n Leans” to our “ReJEWvenate” non-traditional Shabbat morning program.
Patty Warshaw
Patty Warshaw has been our administrator since 2003. Prior to her employment at Shaarey Zedek, she served on the Cultural Committee and was a Trustee and Financial Secretary of the Executive Board.
As a congregant, she became a Bat Mitzvah as a member of the 2006 B’nai Mitzvah Class, was inducted into the SZ Yad Squad in December 2009, and continues to chant Torah on Shabbat mornings. She is currently studying to become a B’Nai Mitzvah tutor and Shabbat service leader.
She occasionally spends time in the SZ kitchen preparing Shabbat morning foods, holiday dinners, Bar/Bat MitzvahKiddush luncheon and helps Sisterhood, GLTY and other groups in the congregation with the Yom Kippur break-fast, Seder, Purim carnival, special events, etc. 22 years running the only Jewish delicatessen in town (Bagel-Haul Deli) gave her lots of practice.
Patty and her husband Kenny have been married 35 years and have one daughter, Lauren and one dog, Farfel, the golden retriever. She also has a large collection of Pluto items (you will find many around the synangogue) and loves to camp, bicycle and go to the beach.
Our Rabbi is the spiritual leader of your Congregation. He has published articles, reviews and short stories in many journals including Tikkun, Commentary, Midstream, Emek, Shma, Tomorrow, The Jerusalem Report and Response. He has been the regular book reviewer of fiction for The Jewish Advocate and The Jerusalem Report, and The Jewish Journal.
Our Rabbi was a senior vice president at the National Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts, and has served pulpits in Northampton and Manhattan, while teaching at Smith College and The University of Massachusetts. He has a BA in Creative Writing from Northwestern University. His MA is from Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He received rabbinic ordination at The Jewish Theological Seminary in New York.
Subscribe to our e-mail to receive his weekly Shabbat message, an insightful discussion of the week’s Torah portion.
Rabbi Pulman
Warmly welcomed by Our Congregation Rabbi Pulman joined the synagogue in 2000.
The son of a pulpit rabbi, Pulman always knew he would one day follow in his father’s footsteps, because he saw firsthand the influence a dedicated spiritual leader can have on people’s lives.
Upon graduation from college he sojourned into the world of business, realizing that his ultimate goal was, indeed, the world of the rabbinate. “I reiterated my earlier hopes until the period when I would be ready to follow my dream”, he said recently. “I always knew I’d come back to it, but I wanted to reach that point when I was completely ready to accept the challenge”.
Accepting “the challenge” meant that Pulman had set priorities for himself as a Rabbi, among which is his desire to combat Jewish illiteracy. “I want to unlock the beauty of our tradition and make it accessible to everyone,” he said. “I want to see myself as a key”.
Having been a student at the Ziegler Rabbinical School at the University of Judaism, the future Rabbi Pulman gives full credit to his learning period for inspiration to enter the area of synagogue leadership as Associate Rabbi to Senior Rabbi, Geraiint and to give the congregants the benefits of such knowledge. Interning at Congregation Ner Tamid in Palos Verdes and serving in the U.S. Navy Chaplaincy Corps has enhanced his rabbinical career.
Among some of his duties at our Congregation teaching, developing adult education programs, spiritual counseling, working with teenagers, developing services for the ill and bereaved, and leading worship services.
Rabbi Amy Bigman became the rabbi of Congregation Shaarey Zedek in July 2007.
Rabbi Bigman graduated, with distinction, from the University of Michigan in 1987 and was ordained a rabbi by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1992. Rabbi Bigman’s rabbinic thesis was entitled “Non-Halakhic Considerations Regarding the Treatment of the Terminally Ill Patient.”
Rabbi Bigman has served congregations in Michigan and Missouri. In addition, she was the assistant director of the Ecumenical Institute for Jewish-Christian Studies in Southfield, Michigan, from 1996-2000.
Rabbi Bigman has served on many boards and committees in the communities she has served. Among them, she was a member of the board of the Ecumenical Institute (prior to serving as its assistant director); the advisory committee of the Jewish Experiences for Families in Southfield, Michigan; and the parent curriculum committee for the Michigan Jewish AIDS Coalition. She also served for two years as the president of the Association of Reform Rabbis of Greater St. Louis.
Rabbi Bigman represented the St. Louis Rabbinical Association on the boards of the Jewish Fund for Human Needs (JFHN) and the Missouri Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (MORCRC), both based in St. Louis, Missouri. The JFHN established a Jewish presence in interfaith efforts at agencies that gave relief to those in need.
The MORCRC was the Missouri affiliate of the national Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, an interfaith organization devoted to ensuring the reproductive health and rights of women. Rabbi Bigman served on the executive committee and the public policy committee of MORCRC and was proud to receive the President’s Award at its annual dinner in 2007.
She also was a member of the inaugural by-invitation-only class of the RCRC’s Clergy Institute for Reproductive Choice in 2006 where she was honored to make a presentation at a briefing on Capitol Hill.
Since returning to Michigan, Rabbi Bigman has continued her efforts in this area; she served as a member of the board, and as president, of the now-defunct Michigan RCRC affiliate and served on the national board of Faith Aloud, a pro-choice interfaith organization.
Rabbi Bigman is the founder and was the coordinator for its first three years of the East Lansing Area Clergy Association (now called the Interfaith Clergy Association of Greater Lansing). Most years she serves on the Interfaith Thanksgiving Service committee for the clergy association. She also represents the Jewish community at the annual Interfaith Day held each February and on numerous panels throughout the community. Rabbi Bigman speaks at many houses of worship in our community and welcomes to our temple building visitors from houses of worship, colleges, and schools. She enjoys meeting with these various groups as they learn about Judaism and about our temple.
Rabbi Bigman served for six years as the clergy representative on the Personal Health and Sexuality Education Advisory Board for Okemos Public Schools and has served for seven years in the same position for the Sex Education Advisory Board for East Lansing Public Schools.
Rabbi Bigman served on the East Lansing Census 2020 Complete Count Committee and was appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer to a three-year term on the State of Michigan Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board (“Children’s Trust Fund”), representing the Religious Community for the State of Michigan, beginning December 2019. The CTF serves as a voice for Michigan’s children and families and promotes their health, safety, and welfare by funding effective local programs and services that prevent child abuse and neglect.
Rabbi Bigman is thrilled to be back in her home state where her loyalties to the Detroit Red Wings, Tigers, and other teams are not questioned, but rather cheered. Of course, her allegiance to the University of Michigan – Go Blue! – is somewhat questioned by her many pro-Michigan State congregants, but she handles it with good cheer.
Rabbi Bigman enjoys spending time with friends and going to the theater.
Cantor Schiffer served as Cantor for Congregation Shaarey Zedek for eighteen years, retiring in June, 2017.
She happily remains part of the congregation as Cantor Emerita.
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, she began her Cantorial studies with Cantor William Sharlin at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles. She also mentored there with Cantor Samuel Kelemer. She received her cantorial certification through the Cantors Assembly, served on its Executive Council and as chair of the Great Lakes and Rivers Region of the organization, and is currently Editor of its newsletter, Sacred Sounds. She is a past President of the Michigan Board of Cantors.
Cantor Schiffer has performed throughout the United States, Canada and Europe as a soloist and recitalist in both contemporary and traditional repertoire. She was an artist member and Director of Programming for the Contemporary Music Forum in Washington D.C. for over twenty years. She has premiered over forty new works and has received a Solo Recitalists Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Her recordings are available on the CRI, Centaur, Capstone, McGill University and Naxos labels.
A graduate of Indiana University and Towson University, Ms. Schiffer moved to the Detroit area from Baltimore, Maryland where she was on the voice faculty of Loyola College and Towson University, Artistic Director of the Women Composers Orchestra, and Cantor at Temple Beth Israel in York, Pennsylvania for thirteen years.
Performances in Michigan include concerts for the Plymouth Community Arts Council, on the Ferndale Concert Series, at Wayne State University, on the Chamber Music at the Scarab Club series, with the Great Lakes Lyric Opera of Detroit, for the Brunch with Bach series at the Detroit Institute of Art, and Concerts in the Barn at Applewood (Tobermory, Ontario).
She is married to Dr. Charles Schiffer and proud grandmother of Kenzo and Kaito Schiffer, who live with their parents Josh and Chihana Schiffer in Seattle. Cats Alex and Burt bring their distinct energy to the family.
Contact and Directions
June 26, 2013 by belin1964 • About Us
Congregation Shaarey Zedek
1924 Coolidge Road
East Lansing, MI 48823
email: executive@shaareyzedek.com
phone: 517-351-3570