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Hazzan Steven W. Dress

Hazzan Dress was attracted to religious life and hazzanuth as a protégé of Hazzan Charles Lew, z”l in Medford, MA. Commissioned as hazzan by the Cantors Assembly, Cantor Dress was awarded a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts/Amherst, MA and a Master’s Degree in Judaic Studies from Hebrew College, Brookline, MA. He also studied Judaica, Music, and Pastoral Counseling at a variety of universities and ulpanim in New England and Israel, including the Fuchsberg Center’s Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem. From 1984-1999, Cantor Dress advanced his study of voice and Jewish music under the guidance of Hazzan Gregor Shelkan, z”l, Newton, MA

Prior to being invited to serve Temple Israel, Sharon, MA nineteen years ago, Cantor Dress served Temple Am David, Warwick, RI for nine years. He is widely regarded for retaining teenagers in the synagogue setting. Temple Israel’s Teen Tefillah, its numerous Torah Reading Corps, Rinat Yisrael Chorus and Junior Chorale have developed under Cantor Dress’ direction. Cantor Dress, with some tutorial assistance, has personally prepared well over 1,000 b’nai mitzvah during his career.

A lyrical tenor, Hazzan Dress is a baal-nusah in the Eastern European style. His CDs, Together As One and Hazarat Hashatz, together with his educational cantata video production, Moadim L’Simha, contributed to United Synagogue Solomon Schechter Cultural Arts Awards, presented to Temple Israel. He is also the recipient of the Outstanding Mentor award by the American Association of University Women. Temple Israel, in recognition of his decade of service in Sharon, MA, honored Cantor Dress at a festive celebration.

Cantor Dress chaired or co-chaired a number of New England Region Cantors Assembly concerts. He has served multiple three year terms on the Cantors Assembly National Executive Council, served as New England’s Cantors Assembly Chairman (Conservative Movement), and is the immediate Past President of the New England Board of Cantors (Commissioned Conservative, Orthodox, Reform Cantors). He has lectured on aspects of Jewish liturgy and its potential influence on human behaviors and relationships. During winter 2008, he was the guest hazzan-scholar in residence during a sabbatical leave at the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro, NC. He has also volunteered annually as Cantor-in-Residence at NERUSY’s Summer Encampment since 1988. A former activist for Soviet Jewry, Cantor Dress advocates for the chronically mentally and physically disabled. Cantor Dress served on the international Board of Directors of the Masorti Foundation as National Chairman of Operation Mazal Tov, a Bar-Bat Mitzvah preparatory program that serves Israeli profoundly special needs children. He voluntarily teaches Torah cantillation at the South Area Solomon Schechter Day School. As recently as July 2008, Cantor and Myrna Dress have led inspiring trips to Israel with many congregational families to advance important programs sponsored by Masorti, Hadassah Medical Center, Fuchsberg Center/Yeshiva, Friends of IDF, and other causes. Cantor Dress organized and facilitated nusah practicum sessions lecturing at USCJ and USY National Conventions. His most recent publication (USCJ Review, 2006) is “K-Date: the Embrace of Keva and Kavannah in the Conservative Synagogue”. Cantor Dress is a member of AIPAC, the National Association of Jewish Chaplains and The Phoenix Society.

Cantor Steven and Myrna Dress, who reside in Sharon, MA, are proud parents of their adult children: Melissa, a New England Sinai Hospital nurse at the Tufts Medical Center, and Jonathan, a University of Cincinnati architectural student.