“I guess I did reasonably well,” says Dr. Block. “At least nobody else wanted my job.”
He says there were parts of the cantor’s well-rehearsed prayers that were completely beyond his vocal capabilities. So he customized these prayers to camouflage his limited vocal skills. He explains that he would patch together small interludes or little connections of his own creation for the parts he was unable to mimic. As a result, some of his prayers took on a unique melody all their own, referred to in Hebrew as Nusach, or the tune used when a cantor recites a prayer.
Dr. Block enjoys telling stories about the children in his congregation who grew up accustomed to his personalized style of chanting. While in college, some would call home after attending services, telling their parents that although the people in the other congregations were very welcoming, “They just don’t know the proper melodies.”
The Melody Goes On
Two years ago, Dr. Gratwick was elected to the Maine State Senate and retired from medicine. So he and Dr. Block decided to close the Bangor practice, and Dr. Block joined the staff at the Waldo County General Hospital in Belfast.
Dr. Block continues to participate in services for the reform congregation he helped establish. Nowadays, he points to some of the congregation’s choir members who have wonderful voices. He says they are learning how to sing prayers in the more traditional style and will easily be able to fill his shoes when the time comes.
“To my good fortune, the ears of our original congregants have aged at the same rate as my voice,” he says.
Looking back, Dr. Block believes that establishing the reform synagogue was definitely a worthwhile endeavor, not only for himself and his family, but for the other members of the community who joined, and even for his patients.
“My participation in the spiritual life of Congregation Beth El, as reflected in its music, led to a deeper understanding that my practice of medicine had to involve much more than attending to just the physical well-being of my patients.”
Carol Patton, a freelance writer based in Las Vegas, Nev., writes the Rheum after 5 column for The Rheumatologist.