Mary Thomas - Cantorial Assistant

From May 29th through late August, Cantor Bernard will be on Sabbatical to finish a textbook he has written. Mary Thomas, who has been working
with Cantor Bernard for well over a year and a half, will be assuming many of the Cantor’s responsibilities in his brief absence. One Shabbat, a congregant mentioned to Mary that she has some very big shoes to fill. Mary replied that she had no intention of filling them; she’d just be keeping them warm. Mary is confident in what she can do, but she knows that she still has much to learn. “Cantor Bernard is such a strong leader within the Reform Movement,” she said. “I hope that in my lifetime I can accomplish half of what he has already.”

Mary is originally from Bayonne, New Jersey. She studied at Rutgers University and majored in History and Jewish Studies. She literally moved to Charlotte immediately after her graduation ceremony from Rutgers. She was in the application process at HUC when her husband, Matthew Moore, received a job offer to work at Bank of America. Although he didn’t apply for it, it was his dream job, so they together decided to give North Carolina a try. They moved here in May of 2003. In July of 2003, she met with Cantor Bernard and he decided to take her on as a student and assistant.

Mary is currently preparing to pursue an alternate route to the Cantorate. Traditionally, the HUC program takes five years. This alternative route will take much longer than that. But Mary says, “I really like it here – my life – the quality of my life.”

When asked what she does for Temple Beth El, Mary said, “It varies. I used to say that I do whatever the Cantor tells me to, and sometimes he lets me sing.” In her first year here, Mary’s primary focus was on teaching the sixth grade curriculum at TBE Religious School. In November of 2004, Mary was officially given the title of Cantorial Assistant and given some new responsibilities, including assisting Cantor Bernard with the b’nei mitzvah tutoring and organizing the madrichim who tutor the students. Along with Cantor Bernard, she attends all the tutoring sessions and works with each of the students. Mary continues to be a vital part of our education team, teaching
sixth grade and the eighth and ninth grade TBE core curriculum in Hebrew High.

When asked how she likes Temple Beth El, Mary said, “I am so truly grateful for the opportunities I have had here at the Temple. When asked if I would consider moving back to New Jersey, my husband and I looked at each other, and we both said no way. I love the Temple. I love the community. And I love working with and learning from Cantor Bernard, Rabbi Schindler and Rabbi Barras. We plan to be here for a long time.”