Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple will host its annual Crown of Torah honoring the contributions of Cantor Anna Ott on May 21 at the temple, 222 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick.
Crown of Torah is the highest honor the temple bestows to those who have gone above and beyond in service to the temple community.
Ott is celebrating her 18th year at Anshe Emeth.
She began taking piano lessons at the age of seven and eventually studied for five years with Juilliard-trained jazz great Morris Nanton. After attending yeshivas through 12th grade and singing largely folk and traditional Israeli song, she had her first spiritual experience through music singing in a non-denominational service with the Kirkpatrick Chapel Choir at Rutgers University. She found music in the Reform Movement and joined the choir at Temple B’nai Shalom in East Brunswick. With three young children, she then went back to school in 1994 to pursue cantorial studies and joined Anshe Emeth in 1999.
For more information, visit aemt.net.
