Clergy

Rabbi Alan Turetz, Spiritual Leader

Email Rabbi Turetz

Blessed with knowledge, eloquence, and a beautiful voice, Rabbi Turetz has enriched Temple Emeth as its spiritual leader since 1977. He grew up in a deeply traditional home, imbued with Jewish spirituality. His maternal and paternal grandfathers were renowned rabbis and scholars, both in Europe as well as the United States.

Graduating as valedictorian of his class from Adelphi University, he received his master’s degree in Hebrew Literature from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, where his rabbinic ordination was conferred with high honors. He subsequently received as well an Honorary Doctorate from the Seminary.

During his many years on the bimah at Temple Emeth, Rabbi Turetz has been an inspirational and highly esteemed leader of Boston’s Jewish community. He has served as president of both the New England Region of the Rabbinical Assembly and the Massachusetts Board of Rabbis, as Rabbi for the New England Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs, and has chaired the New England Rabbinic Cabinet for Israel Bonds.

His incomparable sermons and mellifluous voice, whether for Shabbat or holiday services, are not to be missed.

Rav Chazzan Michael McCloskey

Email Rav Chazzan McCloskey

Since 2007, Rav-Chazzan Michael McCloskey has worked with all segments of the Temple Emeth community. Rabbi-Cantor Michael, as he is affectionately known, utilizes his lyric tenor, piano skills, and facility with composing and arranging to enhance our services and lifecycle events. While at Emeth, Cantor Michael has established and arranged two types of joyous and uplifting Shabbat services with instruments (guitar, piano, violin/clarinet, bass, and percussion): Shabbat Unplug on Saturday mornings and Shabbat K’ley Zemer on Friday evenings.  To hear some of his original music and other recordings, please visit either his Soundcloud or Facebook artist page.

Rav-Chazzan Michael engages learners of all ages with his passion for teaching and sincerity. At Emeth, his continuing education courses have included such diverse topics as Peace-making and Dispute, Digital Prayer and Presence, The Torah of Music, Jewish Approaches to Women’s Reproductive Freedom,, and Innovative Approaches to Shabbat, among others. He serves as spiritual advisor to Emeth’s vibrant Women’s Rosh Hodesh Study Group. With his partner, Dr. Ray Feller, he runs a yearly film series called Cantor-Plex, which highlights Jewish films not only from America but also Israel, Latin America, England, France, and other communities and traditions. Additionally, at Hebrew College, Rabbi-Cantor Michael is a member of the School of Jewish Music Faculty as a Cantorial Coach. From September 2013 he served as Conductor of the Boston chapter of HaZamir: The International Jewish High School Choir, a project of the Zamir Choral Foundation. During his tenure, Cantor Michael provided piano accompaniment for the entire chorus at Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, and the Metropolitan Opera House. He regularly teaches online courses through the Cantors Assembly and has been a featured presenter at the Brookline Community Tikkun L’eil Shavuot and Toronto Jewish Music Week

Rav-Chazzan Michael received his master’s degree in Jewish Education and Cantorial Ordination from Hebrew College in 2007, where he was awarded an academic prize in Judaics and Hazzanut. In 2023, he received rabbinic ordination through the Cantors to Rabbis track at the Academy for Jewish Religion, Yonkers, NY and is President of the New England Region of the Cantors Assembly and serves on the Conservative/Masorti movement’s Committee for Jewish Laws and Standards. Prior to coming to Temple Emeth, he served as a cantorial soloist-educator and taught at Prozdor of Hebrew College. In his spare time, Cantor Michael is an avid bicyclist and reader of fiction, particularly dystopian and cosmic horror. Cantor Michael and his partner, Dr. Ray Feller, are the proud parents of Leonardo and Ramona (Momo)

He is currently developing a podcast on Poetry and the Parashah. 

Dr. Davin Wolok, Chazzan Sheni

Email Dr. Wolok

Davin Wolok joined Temple Emeth in July 2015.  He serves the congregation both musically as Torah reader and second cantor and pedagogically as a teacher of Judaism through both Biblical text and philosophical reflection.

Davin graduated from Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary.  He received his Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in philosophy from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, his dissertation being a study of two modern Jewish philosophers, Martin Buber and Abraham Joshua Heschel. He received both cantorial and vocal training from Cantor Gregor Shelkan, late president of the Cantors Assembly.

Before coming to Temple Emeth, Davin served as Chazzan Sheni and ritual director of Congregation Mishkan Tefila and cantor of Temple Shalom of Milton. He has been an adjunct instructor in philosophy at the Massachusetts Bay Community College in Wellesley and the Middlesex Community College in Bedford, as well as an assistant professor in Jewish Thought at the Hebrew College. Davin has authored a book entitled, You Can Come Home Again: Musings and Amusings of a Philosopher-Clergyman.