Community Corner

FVJC Welcomes Mark Perman as New Cantor

Perman starts his new position July 15.

(FVJC) has appointed Mark Perman as its new cantor, beginning in mid-July.

Perman was invested as a cantor in 1997 from The School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion. He comes to FVJC from Temple Kol Emeth, in Marietta, GA, where he served as cantor for six years.

Prior to that he served as a Jewish chaplain for the metro-west area in Essex County, NJ, as well as the chaplain for the Hillel at Montclair State University.

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At FVJC, Perman succeeds Cantor Emeritus Susan Levine, who retired after 32 years with the congregation. Perman said he is honored to be following in the footsteps of Levine and grateful to Rabbi Herman and the lay leadership of the congregation for making him feel so welcome.

“I hope to continue to encourage our members to connect to their Judaism through music, education, and social action,” he said. “Sharing my spirituality with people is an important part of my cantorate, and I am excited to take an active and vital role in this warm and welcoming congregation and also within the Greater Hartford Jewish community.”

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Originally from Brooklyn and raised in Manhattan, Perman is a 1986 graduate of New York University. In 1982, he graduated from New York City's "famed" High School of Performing Arts. As a child, he performed on Broadway in “Shenendoah,” toured with TheatreWorks USA, and appeared in commercials.

He was inspired to become more spiritual and “Jewishly connected” through his years of participation at Bʼnai Jeshurun in Manhattan. He has also toured both the New Jersey and Atlanta areas with his one man show "Bima to Broadway" which combines different styles from both the synagogue and theatrical worlds.

Some of his favorite theatre roles include: Otto Frank in “The Diary of Anne Frank”; Tevye in “Fiddler On the Roof”; and Emile de Becque in “South Pacific.” He was consulted on the Bar Mitzvah scene in the movie, “The First Wives Club,” and appeared in the scene as well.

He enjoys a variety of music and has dabbled in radio over the years, having most recently hosted a Jewish radio talk show for WMLB-AM radio in Atlanta.

Perman says he looks forward to his tenure at FVJC, which begins on July 15 with a “Shabbat in the Park” at Stratton Brook Park in Simsbury, and encourages everyone to stop by FVJC to say “hello,” once he has settled into his new spiritual home.

Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation-Emek Shalom is a member of the Union for Reform Judaism. The synagogue, located at 55 Bushy Hill Road in Simsbury, serves the Farmington Valley and surrounding communities, including West Hartford, Bloomfield, Barkhamstead, Bristol, Burlington, Harwinton, New Britain, Southington and Winsted.

This information was provided by a press release from Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation-Emek Shalom.


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