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March 9, 2001/Adar 14, 5761, Vol. 53, No.23
Boys Hope/Girls Hope
A cantor's story
HAZZAN G. MICHAEL HORWITZ
Special to Jewish News
I am proud to be an Alumnus of Boys Hope/Girls Hope. I was one of the fortunate young men and women given a chance to leave a difficult family situation and enter an environment that teaches about love, discipline and friendship. Not every child facing difficulties today is given an opportunity to find comfort in a place such as Boys Hope/Girls Hope.
Many of us think that Jewish families take care of themselves. There seems to be a stereotype that Jews do not have needs or problems. However, the Jewish community is just as vulnerable as everyone else.
We need to support such programs because nothing like this exists solely for Jews. My grandmother was strong enough to get help for me from Boys Hope/Girls Hope; at that time, the Jewish community in St. Louis did not have an answer.
Today I am a member of the Cantors Assembly. I have received numerous awards from Jewish organizations and contributed much to the Jewish Community. Boys Hope/Girls Hope and the love of my grandmother made that possible.
The Boys Hope/Girls Hope experience
I moved into the St. Louis Boys Hope/Girls Hope program in June 1982. I was amazed to find caring adults who truly wanted to help children deal with problematic personal and family situations.
For two years, Boys Hope/Girls Hope was my fraternity and my family. I entered the program lacking an understanding of discipline, and perhaps above all else, a real belief in myself and my abilities. For me, Boys Hope/Girls Hope marked a turning point.
My mother had been a state patient in several Missouri nursing homes from the time that I was very young. She was unable to care for herself or her two sons. My younger brother and I were raised by our grandparents. During the 11 years that I lived under my grandparents' roof, my grandfather and I never got along - our personalities clashed.
After I entered high school I agreed to try a group home. I had tried living with my pediatrician and her family and then with a therapist and her family. My therapist knew about Boys Hope/Girls Hope. She helped convince my grandmother that it would be a solution to our difficult home situation and a healthy environment for me.
In order to gain certain privileges there, I had to do my share and be responsible. I learned the system quickly and easily. I found it fun and it gave me a goal - something to strive for and feel a part of. I balanced schoolwork, extracurricular activities, synagogue activities and USY, and several part-time jobs - all part of the Boys Hope/Girls Hope lifestyle.
It was not easy being one of the few Jewish boys in the program. My Judaism was actually strengthened by Boys Hope, though it was already an intrinsic part of who I was. (Prior to my time at Boys Hope, I attended an Orthodox Hebrew day school and many years of Sunday school.)
At Boys Hope, I had the opportunity to educate other boys and my houseparents about my background while learning about the many facets of Christianity. I became a more well-rounded person, based in part on the diverse spiritual backgrounds of everyone in my house.
While at Boys Hope, I served as president of my USY chapter; on at least one occasion we held a chapter meeting in my house. There were even times when I brought other boys to Shabbat services.
It took a while to feel comfortable leading the house group prayer but I will never forget when I finally did - by reciting the Shema. The kids' eyes practically popped out of their heads when they heard me reciting Hebrew words.
My friends and family, while perhaps worried or concerned that I would lose my Judaism, were also intrigued by the values and camaraderie formed in the program. All of the boys and support staff were all able to learn from one another and share ideas while respecting one another's value systems, personal and religious beliefs and customs.
Thanks to the program, I was able to continue my education after completing high school. I attended Indiana University on a full scholarship through Boys Hope. During my junior year at Indiana, I spent a year studying at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. It was in Israel where I met my future wife, Heidi. After graduating from Indiana in 1990 and working four years, I decided to pursue the cantorate and embarked on a five-year master's program at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York.
In the fall of 1994 I entered the five-year graduate program at the Harvey L. Miller Cantorial School at the Jewish Theological Seminary. In May 1999, I graduated with a Master's of Sacred Music and Diploma of Hazzanut.
Boys Hope/Girls Hope taught me to appreciate life and respect and love others. In my opinion, the greatest assets of Boys Hope/Girls Hope are the houseparents, tutors and national board staff. The houseparents had genuine concern for the boys. It was like having lots of different mentors, camp counselors and parents. I learned something unique from each of them. I am very close with a former houseparent; he was the best man at my 1993 wedding.
Over the years, I have kept in close contact with staff at the national office. When my grandmother was hospitalized in 1995, Father Paul Sheridan (founder of Boys Hope/Girls Hope) came to visit her when I was in town.
I have been serving as a Hazzan at Beth El Synagogue in Omaha, Neb., since August 1999. I feel privileged to combine leading Jewish prayer worship with working with adults and children. The synagogue is directly across the street from Boys Town and I have had the opportunity to work with the Jewish residents from that wonderful program. I even trained one Boys Town young man for his bar mitzvah.
Today I am fully aware of how the structure of the Boys Hope/Girls Hope program provided a meaningful lifetime experience and an understanding of ethics and hard work. My Judaism was always very close to my heart, but my experience there made it even more precious - it allowed me to understand and appreciate my spirituality.
Michael Horwitz is currently serving on the Boys Hope/Girls Hope Girls Hope National Board Council.
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