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Longtime temple cantor in Cleveland Jewish community looks back on her nearly 4-decade career

Sarah J. Sager has been described by many as a "legend" in the Northeast Ohio Jewish community.
Credit: Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple

For nearly 40 years, Sarah J. Sager has touched the lived of thousands as cantor at Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple in Beachwood. Now, the longtime figure in the Greater Cleveland Jewish community has decided to take a step back.

The temple announced this week that, beginning in July of 2020, Sager will transition into the role of "Cantor Laureate," meaning she will no longer have an active everyday role in temple affairs. Cantor Sager discussed the announcement in a personal video message posted online, saying she believes Anshe Chesed has a bright future ahead of it.

A message from Cantor Sager from Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple on Vimeo.

“If I had to point to the one part of this profession that is the most fulfilling, it’s an impossible designation,” Cantor Sager reflected. “But, if I had to, it probably would be the privilege of being part of people’s lives, truly, from birth until death and everything in between.”

Sager, described by many as a "legend" in the Northeast Ohio Jewish community, arrived at the synagogue in 1980 as its first cantor. During the nearly four decades since, her style and teachings have impacted generations.

"Cantor Sager has connected to generations of families through her sacred music, teaching of tradition, bar/bat mitzvah and wedding celebrations and comforting the bereaved," the temple said in a statement. "Her passion for her work continues to be obvious and all who know her feel that sense of Jewish continuity, values, beauty and meaning."

Sager will still take part in selected events in her new role, while the synagogue will work to establish a formal search committee to select a successor.

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