Where Are Some of Our Recent Graduates of JTS? Let’s Find Out!  

Cantor Gil Ezring 

Gil Ezring is the son of Barbara and Rabbi Murray Ezring. Barbara is our International Torah Fund Chair. Gil comes from a line of rabbis and cantors on his paternal side, his sister Aviva writes music with Gil (they go by the name AGEz and you can hear some of their music at www.gilezring.com), and Gil is married to a cantor who was ordained at JTS. 

Gil met his wife, Cantor Eryka Velazquez, for the first time at the Women’s League Seminary Synagogue (WLSS). Perhaps Torah Fund played a small part (behind the scenes) in their destiny. Gil expressed that WLSS, made possible by the donations to Torah Fund from the sisterhoods throughout the United States and Canada, provided a special space for him to pray daily while studying to become a cantor. 

What was it that drew Gil Ezring to attend JTS to become a cantor, and where is he today? 

Becoming a cantor was not foremost on Gil’s mind. He always loved music, singing, and writing music. In his younger years he sang in the youth choir band at Temple Israel, his father’s congregation in Charlotte, North Carolina. He also sang in the choir of his father’s synagogue in Florida and eventually would substitute for the cantor when needed. 

When it was time to attend college, Gil wanted to receive a bachelor of music. He attended Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, and received his degree to be a music educator with a focus in chorus. During this time, Gil helped his father create and run a rock service for the second day of Rosh Hashanah as an alternative to the main service, which they called “Rock Hashanah.”  Congregants loved it so much that they started a once-a-month Friday night service, “Rock HaShabbat.

Gil was not on a path to becoming a cantor just yet, in spite of his family and friends always reminding him that he was destined to be a cantor. As fate would have it, an event occurred that turned the tables, sending Gil a message about reconsidering this decision. 

What happened? Gil accompanied his father to visit a congregant at the hospital before he was about to have surgery. Gil sang Debbie Friedman’s beloved “Mi Sheberach” healing song. It turned out that the surgery took less time than was expected, and the congregant healed quickly as well. His wife told Gil, “You saved my husband’s life.” 

Gil’s heart soared and he realized the power of prayer and music, which led to a change of heart and a decision to attend one of the seminaries. The Jewish Theological Seminary was the right fit. He began his studies in 2013 and was ordained in 2018 as a cantor. His first job was at Congregation Beth Judea in Long Grove, Illinois. Two years later, during the pandemic, he moved east to work at Bet Torah in Mt. Kisco, New York, where he is currently in his third year as the cantor. 

Cantor Ezring feels he is working with his dream team of rabbis: Rabbi Aaron Brusso and Rabbi Lisa Sacks. At Bet Torah, Cantor Ezring has prepared 38 youths and adults to read megillah on Purim; he gives b’nei mitzvah lessons and offers trope classes for adults; and he performs many other varied tasks needed at the synagogue. Cantor Ezring has also been a virtual guest speaker at many Torah Fund events throughout the regions over the past three years. 

JTS has prepared Cantor Gil Ezring very thoroughly for his work, and he has a bright future ahead. He and Cantor Velazquez welcomed a new baby girl on April 16, 2023. We wish Cantor Gil Ezring much success inspiring future generations to come. 

Click here to donate to Torah Fund to support more students like Cantor Ezring. 

Rabbi Margie Cella 

Rabbi Margie Cella was ordained after a 30-year career as a high school math teacher in Long Island. Rabbi Cella always loved to study Torah and thought of becoming a rabbi for a long time. 

She retired from teaching in June 2014 and started rabbinical studies at JTS in the fall, commuting four days a week and five hours a day for five years. That’s devotion! Along with her ordination as a rabbi in 2019, the last in-person ordination before the pandemic, she received an MA in Bible.  

While she was a student, Torah Fund sent Margie to several synagogues around the country to speak about JTS and its wonderful mission and programs. She realized how much the students, particularly the younger ones, benefited from Torah Fund. The students had new dormitories, books, study lounges, and of course, the Women’s League Seminary Synagogue (WLSS), which provides a beautiful sacred place of worship for everyone to utilize. Rabbi Cella expressed her gratitude for having the opportunity to visit this meaningful sanctuary daily. 

Rabbi Cella was and continues to be a member of the BQLI Region and the North Shore Jewish Center of Port Jefferson Station on Long Island. She was a Sisterhood President and always supported Torah Fund. 

Fast forward to 2020 when the BQLI Region asked Rabbi Cella to speak at a virtual Torah Fund event. Rabbi Ellen Wolintz-Fields, the Executive Director of Women’s League, attended this event and enjoyed hearing from Rabbi Cella. That led to an interview, and Rabbi Cella was engaged as the Women’s League educator. 

At that time, Makom B’Yachad was in session every weekday for women to say kaddish and connect during the isolation of the pandemic. Rabbi Cella came every Tuesday to teach from the Book of Proverbs. She is currently teaching and preparing a group of women for their adult b’not mitzvah. Rabbi Cella is also the moderator and coordinator for the Keren Kayemet LeYisrael grant program that offers learning and speakers from around the globe to members of both WLCJ and Masorti Women. 

We thank Rabbi Cella for her dedication, knowledge, and care. We wish her many years of beautiful teaching. 

Click here to donate to Torah Fund to support more students like Rabbi Cella.

Rabbi David Chapman 

David Chapman grew up in a suburb of Chicago and attended Conservative synagogue Beth Hillel (now Beth Hillel B’nai Emunah) in Wilmette, Illinois. David was a bar mitzvah and had a basic foundation in Conservative Judaism; however, he did not attend a day school or participate in Jewish summer camps. 

He had an interest and talent for theater, about which he shares, ”Theater at its very core is about bringing people together for live experiences,” something he highly values. Theater is also about creative solutions, and these core values certainly pertain to Rabbi Chapman’s current position as an assistant rabbi at Congregation Beth Shalom in Northbrook, Illinois. 

How did directing plays and musicals in NYC and around the globe with an undergraduate degree in theater (2003) and a master’s degree in nonprofit leadership from Fordham University (2015) lead to attending JTS to become a rabbi? 

Around 2015, Rabbi Chapman began thinking about deepening his Jewish life. With a husband and a young child, he became involved at the Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (LGBTQ) Synagogue in New York City. He was a member of the board of directors and eventually the vice-president of the board, as well as other positions within the synagogue. 

At this juncture, Rabbi Chapman left his work in theater to work for the Nathan Cummings Foundation and, later, the New Israel Fund. He began to see himself as a Jewish professional. He wanted to pursue formal training in Hebrew and Jewish texts, which he had not previously had. After speaking with friends and rabbis about his desire, they recommended that he consider attending JTS.

While he was a student at JTS, David worked as a rabbinic intern with Rabbi Rachel Ain at Sutton Place Synagogue in Manhattan; as a student rabbi in Orlando, and as a rosh aidah (division head) at Ramah Day Camp in Nyack, New York. Rabbi Chapman was very aware of Torah Fund and recognized how students benefited from the donations of all the sisterhoods in North America. 

David Chapman completed his studies and was ordained by JTS in 2022, where he also received a master’s degree and a certificate in pastoral care and counseling. Shortly thereafter, he was hired as the assistant rabbi at Congregation Beth Shalom in Northbrook, Illinois, not far from where he grew up. He recently spoke about his journey at a Torah Fund event for his synagogue. 

Rabbi Chapman leads services, teaches, provides pastoral support, and performs many other rabbinical roles. He and his husband now have another child to add to their growing family. Rabbi Chapman is grateful for working in a loving community that is innovative, evolving, and growing. We wish Rabbi David Chapman success and happiness going forth. 

Click here to donate to Torah Fund to support more students like Rabbi Chapman.