Artists

Ilana Davidson| to read about Ilana, please go to:

www.ilanadavidson.com

Sara Caswell | to read about Sara, please go to:

https://saracaswell.com/

Jody Redhage Ferger | to read about Jody, please go to:

https://www.jodyredhageferber.com/

Michael Kasper

Michael Kasper serves as Dean of Cantorial Studies and Dean of Student Life at the Academy for Jewish Religion (AJR).  He was born in Newark and raised in West Orange, NJ, where he began musical studies.  Before attending the George Washington University, he spent his high school years working as an accompanist (percussion) at the New Jersey Ballet for their jazz classes.  He went to college intending to be a musician, but graduated with a degree in Physical Education with a teaching specialty in Dance.  His career has taken him from New York City’s modern dance world, where he moved after having won a National Society of Arts and Letters Choreographer’s Competition, to work with the Twyla Tharp Dance Company, to work throughout the United States and Israel as a performing dancer, and finally to his own dance company: the Michael Kasper Dance Company.  After retiring from dance, he became a Social Worker and then a psychoanalyst in private practice.   He eventually fulfilled a lifelong dream of becoming an ordained cantor.   Along the way, he spent a year as Artist in Residence (Dance) at George Mason University, taught for Hunter College’s Post Master’s Program in Clinical Social Work, and taught ice skating, specializing in his work with autistic and special needs children and teens.   Michael led Congregation Sons of Israel-Nyack as its cantor for ten years but retired from the pulpit in 2019.   His publications include the papers: “The Language of Love” published in the book Controversies on Countertransference, and “Light and Peace in our Daily Liturgical Declarations” published in Ra’u Or: Essays in Honor of Dr. Ora Horn Prouser.  He also wrote and edited the book Circus Texts/Sacred Arts: Bodily Arts as a means of Studying Sacred Texts along with his colleagues Dr. Ora Horn Prouser and Ayal Prouser.