[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 79 (Tuesday, May 15, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E646]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING CANTOR EMERITA HELENE REPS

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                          HON. ELIOT L. ENGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 15, 2018

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a spiritual leader in 
the New Rochelle community, Cantor Emerita Helene Reps, who this year 
is being honored for her 17 years of dedicated service to Temple Israel 
in New Rochelle at their 110th Anniversary Gala.
  Born and raised in the Pittsburgh area to a musical family, Cantor 
Helene Reps entered Carnegie Institute of Technology--now Carnegie 
Mellon--as a piano major. Encouraged by the faculty to switch to the 
vocal department, she received a double major in music and education.
  Her first professional opportunity came in 1956, the Mozart 
bicentennial year, when William Steinberg, conductor of the Pittsburgh 
Symphony, engaged her as the alto soloist in the Mozart Requiem. Helene 
called that moment a dream, which was followed by several more roles 
with the Pittsburgh Opera.
  Upon graduation from Carnegie, she moved to New York, teaching in a 
Harlem junior high school. In 1958, Helene returned to Pittsburgh to 
marry David Reps, and Tamara, Aaron, and twins Steven and Jennifer 
arrived for the happy couple soon thereafter. When Davis' work moved 
the family to New York City, the Cantor at JCC persuaded Helene to 
enter the five-year cantorial program at the Hebrew Union College 
School of Sacred Music. Helene called the move a perfect fit, and in 
1979 she graduated as one of the very first woman cantors to serve a 
major pulpit. Helene joined the clergy at Temple Israel in New Rochelle 
in 1980, where she served the growing congregation until 1997. She 
conducted services with Rabbi Amiel Wohl and prepared, on average, 40 
to 50 children each year for their bar and bat mitzvahs.
  These days, Helene spends her time with her husband, now of almost 60 
years, enjoying their four grown children and seven brilliant 
grandchildren. The mark Helene has left on Temple Israel and indeed the 
entire New Rochelle community cannot be understated. The Temple has 
chosen an outstanding honoree for this year's Gala, and I'd like to 
congratulate Helene on this well-deserved recognition.

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