Cantor Maimon Attias when he was hired by Morristown Jewish Center in 1979.
Photos courtesy Morristown Jewish Center Beit Yisrael
On a recent morning at his kitchen table, where he trained hundreds of b’nei mitzva during his 30-year tenure at Morristown Jewish Center Beit Yisrael.
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May 28, 2009
The first time Maimon Attias saw Morristown Jewish Center one August day in 1979, he said his reaction was less than positive.
“It’s a hurban!” — a destruction — is what he remembers thinking. “I nearly left without ever coming in,” he said.
His wife, Rhea, pointed out that they didn’t come all the way from Queens to turn around. So he went inside to interview for the position of cantor. Thirty years later, he’s still there.
Despite the first impression, as soon as he met the congregants — among the first were Susan Warshaw and Don Weitzman, both of whom have since passed away — his attitude softened, he said. Not only did they offer him the job on the spot (“They must have liked the way I was dressed,” he joked), they also offered to take him to a soccer game and help his family find a good doctor and any other services they might need.
“They cared enough to try to make me comfortable; I felt at home right away,” Attias said.
Since then, the Moroccan-born cantor has been returning the favor, making others feel comfortable, with a smile or a joke, his trademark handclap, or with his collection of bobble-head dolls.
Attias, 61, will retire at the end of June. He will be succeeded by Cantor Vadim Yucht, currently at the Orangetown Jewish Center in Orangeburg, NY.
Congregants all comment on Attias’ warmth and sense of humor.
“He’s fun-loving; he jokes around,” said Kathy Niebart, a longtime member.
“He always has a smile and a hug for me,” said congregation copresident Rita Gotfried, who described that famous handclap. “Kids just walk up to him and put their hands out.” He claps his down on theirs, making a “pop.”
He can’t wait to offer a visitor a demonstration, and that’s enough to put a smile on the faces of both people involved.
Around the kitchen table in his Randolph home, where he has trained hundreds of b’nei mitzva, he suggested to a visitor that his warmth is based on his Moroccan upbringing, where personal interaction “is all we had.”
He loves to share his heritage with congregants — from Maimouna, the Moroccan festival marking the end of Passover, to melodies from his childhood.
He still recalls the words Zvee Aroni, founder of the Manhattan School for Cantors, had for him the day he graduated. “Maimon, I’m jealous. You have something I don’t. You have a Sephardi background. I have taught you Ashkenazi liturgy. That mixture is unique.”
As a youth in Morocco, Attias was often chosen to lead services based on his voice and ability. But he left for Israel at 16 and sought his future as an entrepreneur of sorts. (He is vague about his career, mentioning only billiard halls and hotels.)
He met his wife, Rhea, when she came to Israel as a tourist; after they married, they moved to her native Queens. Able to speak four languages, he found a job in the hotel business, but eventually, his youthful abilities resurfaced, and he found his way to the cantorate. He was thrilled when, after auditioning, Aroni told him, “You have potential.”
A new wind
When Attias arrived at Morristown Jewish Center — which has since added “Beit Yisrael” to its name — the congregation had 175 family members, mostly older people; the school was very small. The main worship service was on Friday nights, and only men were counted in the minyan. Changes came quickly, especially where women were concerned. The real estate boom of the 1980s brought dramatic demographic growth, including plenty of young Jewish families moving to the area. “Unheard of at the time,” he said.
During the 1990s, Morristown held its own Salute to Israel Parade, in which Cantor Maimon Attias proudly participated.
In 1988, he gained a new partner when Rabbi David Nesson took the helm of the congregation. Saturday morning davening became the norm, the building was restored, and the school grew.
Attias and Nesson developed a close personal relationship and professional partnership. They even started dressing in matching Purim costumes — they’ve been everything from Power Rangers to rap artists.
Many congregants say the cantor’s influence is most keenly felt among those he has prepared for bar or bat mitzva, 30 to 40 each year.
Niebert, who has five children, said, “All the children have different levels of ability. He is able to bring out the best in each of them. He just has a way of motivating the kids.”
He is also proud of the “minyanaire’s club” he developed to keep teens connected after they become b’nei mitzva — club members lead morning minyan once a month through high school. The program recently earned special recognition from United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism.
When he retires, Attias said, he plans to hit the road, bringing his Sephardi Friday night service to other congregations. He’s also looking forward to spending more time with Rhea and their grown daughter, Arielle.
One thing he won’t be doing, however, is e-mail: Attias is well-known for his aversion to modern technology, which he believes gets in the way of his work.
“Look, what is life all about? Shake my hand. I give you a little pop, and that’s what life is all about…. It’s you yourself, what you have to offer other people…. You pinch cheeks, you pop a hand, you hug them and you kiss them, and that’s what it’s all about.”
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