Clergy

Rabbi Gary Gans

Gary Gans first came to Congregation Beth Tikvah as its first full time rabbi in 1981, when the synagogue was merely a ranch house surrounded by corn fields in rural Marlton, NJ. Having just completed a position as Associate Rabbi in Center City Philadelphia, he appreciated the country atmosphere and lack of traffic in his new locale. He also looked forward to the challenge of building the young congregation; both its population and physical plant.

No one could have imagined the deep roots he would establish as Congregation Beth Tikvah and Marlton grew and flourished. While Marlton is now a fully fledged and busy suburb, our congregation still thinks of itself as a small community consisting of "a family of families." Among some of his milestones are the now frequent weddings he performs for former Bar/Bat Mitzvah students. Recently, he officiated for the first time at the wedding of one his students whom he named at the Bris, as well as celebrating his Bar Mitzvah! Many joyous years of Simchas are the benefit of a long tenure as the spiritual leader of our congregation.

Rabbi Gans also accompanies each year's Confirmation Class in their annual December trip to Israel. Although "the mountains seem to be getting steeper each year," he loves to show them the ancient and modern aspects of the Jewish State. Each of his students returns with a stronger Jewish identity and an understanding of the geo-political realities of the Middle East. Most of the kids believe this Israel trip to be the most fulfilling experience of their Jewish education.

Gans married Ilene Schneider while they were both students at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. They are now the second longest married rabbinic couple in the world! They are blessed with two sons, Natan and Ari who were each named at birth and became Bar Mitzvah during ceremonies at CBT. Ilene has written a Rabbinic murder mystery, "Chanukah Guilt," as well as "Talk Dirty Yiddish: Beyond Drek," to be published in November 2008. Rabbi Schneider is also the Director of Jewish Hospice for Samaritan Hospice in Marlton, NJ.

Rabbi Gans received a B.A. from Rutgers University, holds a Master's Degree in Psycho-Educational processes from Temple University in addition to his Rabbinic Ordination. He was a graduate student at Hebrew University in Jerusalem for two years and attended Gratz Hebrew College in Philadelphia to obtain licenses as a teacher and principal.

Committed to life long study, Gans earned a Doctor of Ministry degree in counseling from the Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, a remarkable achievement for a rabbi! He has also been awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. He participated in a post doctorate program in family therapy at Penn Council for Relationships at the University of Pennsylvania, and has earned two units in Clinical Pastoral Education.

Rabbi Gans is board certified as a Clinical Member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of New Jersey, specializing in family therapy.

He has served the community as President of the Tri-County Board of Rabbis, and is deeply committed to the Marlton and Medford clergy associations. Currently he is on the Board of Directors of the Crescent Burial / Memorial Park in Pennsauken.

Rabbi Gans has one of the least expected hobbies for a rabbi, he is an amateur radio operator (kosher Ham!) with the call sign N2EEF. He is also totally engrossed in the hobby of genealogy, and has led many seminars on this theme.

Rabbi Gans can be contacted at rabbi@btikvah.org

Cantor Joseph Lebovic

CBT congregants have enjoyed the commanding presence of Joseph Lebovic, CBT’s longest-tenured and most beloved Cantor, since he arrived in 1986.

Whether singing along to familiar tunes or unwinding from the harried pace of everyday life, all age groups thoroughly enjoy the Cantor’s strikingly robust and soulful voice. He keeps the congregation on its toes by occasionally sneaking in a new rhythm. “Services need renewal every once in awhile. It’s nice to hear something new and something old,” the Cantor says, so every now and then he likes “to change things around, to learn new compositions and new tunes.”

Born in the Czech Republic to Cantor David and Mina Lebovic, CBT’s cantor is the youngest in his family’s cantorial trio. His grandfather, Joseph, initiated the tradition, sharing his love of Judaism and music with his son, David, who in turn inspired his son, our own Cantor Joseph Lebovic.

David Lebovic, a Holocaust survivor, trained as a cantor in Budapest, Hungary and then moved his family to Israel. Since he was unable to find work there, the family moved to Buffalo, New York, when young Joe was 12. He attended Yeshiva for two years to continue with his Jewish education, which began in Israel. It wasn’t long before he participated in a national bible contest in which he placed second in the mid-atlantic states.

A pivotal time in the Cantor’s life occurred surreptitiously, when he asked his dad to help him purchase a car the summer he graduated from high school. Cantor David Lebovic’s stipulation: regimented study of cantorial music for a minimum of six hours per day for two months. Once completed, his dad took him to apply for a part-time cantorial position in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. When the 18 year-old told his father the good news – “I got the job!” – Cantor David Lebovic told him he could now buy himself a new car.

The Cantor earned a B.S. in psychology from Temple University and concurrently studied music theory and voice development at the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia while continuing to hone his craft with his dad’s assistance. He toyed around with the idea of a graduate school program in Arabic and Middle Eastern studies or a pharmacy career until he decided that optometry was the field he wanted to pursue. He graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry and obtained a cantorial position at Beth Jacob-Beth Israel which he kept for 10 years, until he became CBT’s cantor.

While in college, he married Sophie Klein, who would become a popular CBT instructor and the office manager for the Cantor’s optometry practice. Together they raised three children: Yael, Miryam and Avi. “Life is beautiful,” the Cantor says, enjoying every minute of their growing family. Yael and Mac have two children, Nathan and Raya, and Miryam and Aaron’s two are Layna and Owen. “Our grandkids draw us all in and provide something to do for everybody.”

CBT offers such a compelling “sensation of warmth and welcome from the congregants” that it has been easy to stay for 20 years – far longer than his prior associations with other synagogues – the Cantor says. “Everybody gets to know everybody else, there is a warm sense of family, and it’s a great place for your children to meet other children and form long-lasting relationships. This is where children grow up and feel there’s a real home there.”

On a personal note, Cantor Lebovic says he appreciates “a very good relationship with the Rabbi, the good friends we’ve made here, and an opportunity to do what I love to do.” He has also participated as a guest soloist for the South Jersey Chorus, a secular choir with 60 singers; for Temple Beth Sholom; for the choir of the Board of Cantors of Greater Philadelphia as well as for various cantorial Jewish choirs in South Jersey.