Sandra Sherry, former cantor at Temple Beth El in Huntington, dies at 81
Sandra Sherry, spent a quarter-century as the cantor at Temple Beth El in Huntington, where she became the first female clergy member in the community. Credit: Richard Pilatsky
Sandra Sherry was a volunteer in the choir at Temple Beth El in Great Neck when the synagogue’s noted cantor heard her voice — and recognized remarkable talent.
"I noticed her, not only her singing but her presence when she sang and how invested she was in the music she was singing," said Barbara Ostfeld. "She used her voice to make the words come alive and she had a unique gift as far as her ability to impart the meanings of the prayers."
Ostfeld, who was the first woman in Jewish history to become an ordained cantor in the Reform movement, encouraged Sherry to become one, too.
The mother of three attended Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Manhattan for five years, commuting from Great Neck, and was ultimately ordained a cantor. She spent a quarter-century as the cantor at Temple Beth El of Huntington, where she became the first female clergy member in the community, said her husband, Richard Pilatsky.
Sherry died Feb. 19 at her home in Boca Raton, Florida, where she had moved from Northport with Pilatsky. She was 81. The cause of death was complications related to Parkinson’s disease, he said.
Sherry "was very much in her 25 years the musical heart and spirit of Temple Beth El," said Rabbi Jeff Clopper, head of the synagogue. "She really had a way of being somewhat of a pied piper for the community here" in addition to being a female cantor when that was still unusual. "She was very much a force."
Pilatsky, who is also a cantor, said Sherry "was one of the most unique people you would ever meet. She never had not just a bad word but a bad thought about anybody. You could take the worst person in the world and she could find something good about them. She just endeared herself to everybody."
Sherry was born in Brighton Beach in Brooklyn and attended Abraham Lincoln High School, serving as captain of the band’s twirling squad. She went on to get a bachelor of science degree in education from Brooklyn College.
She married Herb Sherry, a doctor with the Public Health Service, which took him to posts around the country. Sandra Sherry taught in elementary school at many of them. The most remarkable one for her was on a Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona, Pilatsky said.
The Sherrys eventually settled in Great Neck, where Sandra met Ostfeld. After she was ordained, Sherry landed a one-year replacement post at Temple Beth El in Huntington. When the regular cantor decided not to return, the synagogue eagerly hired Sherry permanently, Pilatsky said.
"Once ordained she had a wonderful career because she had that certain something; she had a clergy presence and was enormously kind," Ostfeld said. "And that’s on top of her ability to sing the prayers in a way that made them come alive. Her personal gifts and her vocal gifts that made her a standout in the congregation."
She did more than sing at the temple, Pilatsky said. She trained more than 1,000 students for their bar/bat mitzvah and oversaw the adult and junior choirs. She started family education programs such as Bagels, Blocks and Beyond, which gave parents ideas on how to get their children interested in Jewish holidays.
She thought theater could help increase participation in temple life, so she produced a musical — "Fiddler on the Roof." The show was such a hit that the temple formed its Chutzpah Repertory Theater, starting a tradition of a new show every two years, Pilatsky said.
Sherry, who by then was divorced, was also a member of the Long Island Cantors Ensemble, a group of cantors that gave concerts in the New York area. Pilatsky was a member too. They shared a music book for nearly two years and ultimately fell in love and married in 1993.
Sherry served on the board of the American Conference of Cantors and was active in the Suffolk Association of Jewish Educational Services. She also served on the board of the Long Island Cantors Association.
Besides Pilatsky, she is survived by her sons, David Sherry, of Parkland, Florida, and Jason Sherry and Adam Sherry, both of Vermont; a stepson, Chad Pilatsky, of Plainview; and seven grandchildren.
Services were held Sunday at Temple Beth El in Huntington, followed by interment at Montefiore Cemetery in Springfield Gardens, Queens.
Sandra Sherry was a volunteer in the choir at Temple Beth El in Great Neck when the synagogue’s noted cantor heard her voice — and recognized remarkable talent.
"I noticed her, not only her singing but her presence when she sang and how invested she was in the music she was singing," said Barbara Ostfeld. "She used her voice to make the words come alive and she had a unique gift as far as her ability to impart the meanings of the prayers."
Ostfeld, who was the first woman in Jewish history to become an ordained cantor in the Reform movement, encouraged Sherry to become one, too.
The mother of three attended Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Manhattan for five years, commuting from Great Neck, and was ultimately ordained a cantor. She spent a quarter-century as the cantor at Temple Beth El of Huntington, where she became the first female clergy member in the community, said her husband, Richard Pilatsky.
Sherry died Feb. 19 at her home in Boca Raton, Florida, where she had moved from Northport with Pilatsky. She was 81. The cause of death was complications related to Parkinson’s disease, he said.
Sherry "was very much in her 25 years the musical heart and spirit of Temple Beth El," said Rabbi Jeff Clopper, head of the synagogue. "She really had a way of being somewhat of a pied piper for the community here" in addition to being a female cantor when that was still unusual. "She was very much a force."
Pilatsky, who is also a cantor, said Sherry "was one of the most unique people you would ever meet. She never had not just a bad word but a bad thought about anybody. You could take the worst person in the world and she could find something good about them. She just endeared herself to everybody."
Sherry was born in Brighton Beach in Brooklyn and attended Abraham Lincoln High School, serving as captain of the band’s twirling squad. She went on to get a bachelor of science degree in education from Brooklyn College.
She married Herb Sherry, a doctor with the Public Health Service, which took him to posts around the country. Sandra Sherry taught in elementary school at many of them. The most remarkable one for her was on a Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona, Pilatsky said.
The Sherrys eventually settled in Great Neck, where Sandra met Ostfeld. After she was ordained, Sherry landed a one-year replacement post at Temple Beth El in Huntington. When the regular cantor decided not to return, the synagogue eagerly hired Sherry permanently, Pilatsky said.
"Once ordained she had a wonderful career because she had that certain something; she had a clergy presence and was enormously kind," Ostfeld said. "And that’s on top of her ability to sing the prayers in a way that made them come alive. Her personal gifts and her vocal gifts that made her a standout in the congregation."
She did more than sing at the temple, Pilatsky said. She trained more than 1,000 students for their bar/bat mitzvah and oversaw the adult and junior choirs. She started family education programs such as Bagels, Blocks and Beyond, which gave parents ideas on how to get their children interested in Jewish holidays.
She thought theater could help increase participation in temple life, so she produced a musical — "Fiddler on the Roof." The show was such a hit that the temple formed its Chutzpah Repertory Theater, starting a tradition of a new show every two years, Pilatsky said.
Sherry, who by then was divorced, was also a member of the Long Island Cantors Ensemble, a group of cantors that gave concerts in the New York area. Pilatsky was a member too. They shared a music book for nearly two years and ultimately fell in love and married in 1993.
Sherry served on the board of the American Conference of Cantors and was active in the Suffolk Association of Jewish Educational Services. She also served on the board of the Long Island Cantors Association.
Besides Pilatsky, she is survived by her sons, David Sherry, of Parkland, Florida, and Jason Sherry and Adam Sherry, both of Vermont; a stepson, Chad Pilatsky, of Plainview; and seven grandchildren.
Services were held Sunday at Temple Beth El in Huntington, followed by interment at Montefiore Cemetery in Springfield Gardens, Queens.
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'I have never been to New York' Jim Vennard, 61, an electrical engineer from Missouri, received a $250 ticket for passing a stopped school bus in Stony Brook, a place he said he has never visited. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.
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'I have never been to New York' Jim Vennard, 61, an electrical engineer from Missouri, received a $250 ticket for passing a stopped school bus in Stony Brook, a place he said he has never visited. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.
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