Rabbi Anthony Fratello

Anthony Fratello was born in 1972 in Long Beach Ca, California. In his childhood, Anthony was a member of Temple Beth David, a Reform congregation in Westminster, CA, and was active in BBYO (The B'nai Brith Youth Organization).

Rabbi Fratello graduated from Pomona College in 1994, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History, and in the summer of 1994, began his studies toward the Rabbinate at the Jerusalem Campus of the Hebrew Union College. He returned to the United States to continue his studies at the Cincinnati campus of HUC-JIR in 1995.

While in seminary, Rabbi Fratello served pulpits in Mississippi, Indiana, and Illinois, as well as a Summer Residency at Temple Har Sinai in Baltimore, Maryland. While serving these congregations, he had the honor of teaching and praying with Jews from all age groups, movements, and walks of life. Rabbi Fratello earned his MAHL Degree (Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters) from the Hebrew Union College in 1998, and was Ordained as a Rabbi in June 1999.

In April of 2000, Rabbi Fratello was elected to the pulpit of Temple Shaarei Shalom, in Boynton Beach. Rabbi Fratello is a Board Member of the Federation of Palm Beach County, a member of the executive board and Vice President of the Palm Beach County Board of Rabbis.

Rabbi Fratello is married to his Hebrew Union College Classmate, Rabbi Joanna Tract, a Chaplain with Hospice of Palm Beach County. The couple has been blessed with two sons, Samson and Eli.

Cantor Aaron Kaplan

Aaron Kaplan began his music studies at the age of two playing piano and subsequently began his voice studies during his high school years. He went on to attend Westminster Choir College, where he performed as a choir member with such eminent ensembles as The New York Philharmonic under Kurt Masur, The Philadelphia Orchestra, under Wolfgang Sawallisch, The New Jersey Symphony under Zdenek Macal, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. Additionally he was a member of the choir on the recording of Dvorak’s Requiem with the New Jersey Symphony which was released on the Delos Record Label. He graduated Cum Laude from Westminster Choir College in 2000 with a Bachelor’s Degree in music and received his Master’s of Sacred Music degree and Cantorial Investiture from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, School of Sacred Music.

After his undergraduate studies at Westminster, Aaron moved to Manhattan where he pursued a professional career as a singer, singing in various concert ensembles and church choirs such as St. Patrick’s Cathedral, The Church of the Blessed Sacrament, and St. Bartholomew’s Church and the AmorArtis Chamber Choir. He also held an administrative position at The Juilliard School.

In 2004, Aaron began his Cantorial studies at Hebrew Union College School of Sacred Music where he was honored to be the recipient of the Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York Scholarship Award for his entire Cantorial education at HUC. Additionally, he was awarded the Jacob and Malvina Lutwak Cantorial Memorial Prize, the Cantorial Alumni Association Prize, The Women of Reform Judaism Cantorial Prize, and the Robert Abelson prize in Yiddish Artsong. Aaron has sung in concerts in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and in various venues in America and served as a “guest-Cantor” at several congregations both in Israel and the U.S. Additionally he has been a member of the Cantorial choir in a pre-High Holiday concert of traditional Chazzanut at Merkin Hall, and performed as a chorister along-side Cantor Yitzhak Meir Helfgott and the New York Philharmonic at the Metropolitan Opera House. Aaron served as Cantorial Intern at Temple Adath Yeshurun in Manchester, NH, and Temple Tikvah in New Hyde Park, NY.