WHEREAS it is the intention of the Mayor and Council of Cherry Hill Township to focus attention on noteworthy occasions and individuals; and

WHEREAS on Sunday, June 4, 2017, Congregation M’kor Shalom will honor beloved clergy member Cantor Anita Hochman as she prepares to retire after 36 years of dedicated service to the Jewish community of South Jersey; and

WHEREAS a native of Levittown, Pa., Cantor Hochman arrived at M’kor as a 24-year-old graduate student in 1981, South Jersey’s first female cantor, and one of the first women, period, to break into what had been a male-dominated field for millenia; and

WHEREAS along her journey to becoming the longest-serving clergy member at M’kor, Cantor Hochman has helped prepare approximately 2,500 students for their b’nai mitzvah, and made music at countless worship services, weddings, baby namings, and funerals -- leaving an indelible impression on the lives of countless congregants; and

WHEREAS Cantor Hochman was the force behind organizing numerous community concerts throughout the years, including a performance for the Jerusalem 3000 in 1996, and was instrumental in creating the Unity Choir, an ensemble of singers from synagogues and churches throughout the state to perform at local services and at M’kor Shalom’s annual Martin Luther King Day celebration; and

WHEREAS through the years, Cantor Hochman has worked alongside 15 rabbis, and served thousands of families whose lives have been forever touched by her presence, and we can think of no individual more deserving of the Marylee and Stuart Alperin M’kor Or Leadership Award.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, CHUCK CAHN, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Mayor of the Township of Cherry Hill, County of Camden, State of New Jersey, do hereby proclaim Sunday, June 4, 2017, to be

Cantor Anita Hochman Day

in the Township of Cherry Hill, and do urge all citizens to join with me and the members of Township Council in celebrating Cantor Hochman’s receipt of the Marylee and Stuart Alperin M’Kor Or Leadership Award, and thanking her for nearly four decades of service and countless contributions to the M’kor Shalom Congregation, Cherry Hill Township, and South Jersey at large.