LEADERSHIP

Rabbi Michael Schadick has been the Rabbi of Temple Emanuel since July 2000. He received his ordination from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in the spring of 1994. Before coming to Grand Rapids he served congregations in Orlando, Florida and in Plantation, Florida.

Rabbi Schadick received his BA in Economics from Connecticut College in New London, CT in the spring of 1987. He is a “Yankee” through and through. He was born in Manchester, NH, as were his mother and grandmother. He attended the same high school as his parents and grandparents.

Rabbi Schadick is married to Susan (Snyder) Schadick, and they are the proud parents of one daughter. Shira was born in Grand Rapids in December 2000.

Rabbi Schadick decided early on in his life that the rabbinate would be his career. He fell in love with the work his own rabbi did, teaching, preaching, counseling, and sharing Judaism with others. Today Rabbi Schadick loves all of these aspects of his position. He particularly likes fashioning creative lesson plans and teaching children of all ages.

Rabbi Schadick is a frequently requested guest speaker at schools throughout West Michigan. He loves talking about Judaism and helping others come to appreciate the joys of Jewish life. Rabbi Schadick is also an active participant in local interfaith activities, called upon on many occasions to share the Jewish perspectives on the issues that face our community and greater West Michigan.

Rabbi Schadick loves to spend time each summer at the Olin Sang Ruby Union Institute in Oconomowoc, WI. He has spent five summers serving on the faculty of OSRUI.

Rabbi Schadick has a particular love for reading innovative Torah commentaries and finding contemporary understandings on the books of the Tanach. When he is not at work Rabbi Schadick likes to cook, to exercise, to travel, to read, and to spend time with his wife and daughter.

Cantor David Fair is proud to have joined Temple Emanuel in 2021. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, he earned a B.A. in Theater and a minor in Music from the University of Maryland College Park. He received a Professional Studies Diploma and an Artist Diploma from the Cleveland Institute of Music. He received a Master of Sacred Music degree from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City in 2020, where he wrote his thesis on the topic, “Tsiporah’s Children: The Music and Lived Experiences of Black Jewish Americans.” He was ordained in 2021.

Before coming to Grand Rapids, Cantor Fair served as the Cantorial Intern at Temple Beth Israel in York, PA; Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (CBST) in New York City; and Washington Hebrew Congregation in Washington, DC.

Cantor Fair is passionate about pastoral care. Cantor Fair completed 400 hours of Clinical Pastoral Education with the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he worked at the Jewish Association for Services for the Aged in Brooklyn, NY. He strives to offer space for others to feel heard, affirmed, and validated. In 2021, he received two additional certifications: He is a certified Prepare/Enrich® Facilitator in Premarital Counseling and he is also a certified Respecting Choices® Advance Care Planning Facilitator in conducting guided End-of-Life conversations.

As the Cantor-Educator of the United Jewish School, Cantor Fair guides teachers in bringing innovative ideas and techniques to the classroom. He has taught religious school for well over a decade and specializes in teaching Hebrew, bible, Israeli peoplehood, Holocaust education, and of course, Jewish music.

Cantor Fair is an antiracism educator and has given sermons, lectures, and led workshops in this topic at Synagogues, Hillels, and other Jewish organizations throughout the country. He believes that this is holy work. He is honored to have the opportunity to speak to people who are interested and open to learning about how we can all challenge our role in systemic racism.

Outside of his Cantorial duties, Cantor Fair loves practicing yoga, making vegan feasts, buying toys for Mordechai the cat, and spending time with his partner, Corey — who teaches Yoga, Mindfulness, and Meditation at Temple Emanuel and the United Jewish School.

You can find more information on Cantor Fair at cantordavidfair.com;

Our Rabbi Emeritus, Albert Micah Lewis, was ordained at HUC-JIR in 1969. Rabbi Lewis earned his Doctorate in Hebrew Literature in 1978 and has been awarded a Doctor of Divinity degree by HUC-JIR (1994) and a Doctorate of Literary Letters by Aquinas College. He is a nationally recognized writer and speaker. Dr. Lewis continues to teach and counsel the families of Congregation Emanuel.

A newspaper columnist, Dr. Lewis’ articles have been widely circulated throughout the United States, Canada and Great Britain.

Dr. Lewis was appointed to the Governor’s Commission on Aging by Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, and is the president of Life Transitions Consulting, a corporation facilitating lifelong education and staff development in retirement and nursing home facilities. The rabbi is the founding president of Hospice of Grand Rapids (MI) and the Western Michigan chapter of the Michigan Society for Gerontology. Dr. Lewis is a consultant to fortune 500 companies.

Rabbi Lewis is the author of Soul Sounds: Reflections on Life (Common Good, 2009), The Lord is My Shepherd: Psalms to Accompany Us on Our Journey through Aging (Eerdman, 2002) and a co-author of Retirement Begins at Forty (CCAR, 1980).