Bet Haverim’s Voices for Comfort and Healing Soar

At the end of Lavista Road lies a small but mighty Reconstructionist congregation that bolsters one of the most adventurous synagogue-music based programs in the greater Atlanta area. Home to both a 40-person chorus and the vocal group, Voices for Comfort and Healing, Congregation Bet Haverim (CBH) serves as a leader in connection and pastoral comfort through music.

Unlike the chorus, Voices for Comfort and Healing is non-audition and anyone can join. Led by Rebekka Goldsmith, interim spiritual leader and director of music, and Shana Cohen, long-time congregant of Congregation Bet Haverim, Voices for Comfort and Healing is a vehicle of warmth and wellbeing.

The group was started back in March of 2025 with the purpose of providing comfort anywhere it might be needed. Cohen said, “We have sung in a really wide array of contexts where people need solace.”

The group has sung at shivas, memorials, the Jewish Home, for people in hospice, rehab facilities, and for those recovering from injury, illness, or procedures at home. On Friday, June 12, the group led and sang for CBH’s own Shabbat of Comfort and Healing.

Voices for Comfort and Healing is made up of around 20 to 25 members. Rehearsals are held twice a month, where the group practices and sings a mix of prayers and songs. Each rehearsal begins with members sitting in a semi-circle, seated based on vocal range. Goldsmith leads the group through breathing and improvised warm-ups before they sing. Woven into every song and prayer are notions of togetherness, healing, strength, relaxation, and peace: “You are strong enough to weather this storm,” “Remember you are not alone,” “All within you, peaceful.”

An unexpected outcome is how much comfort and healing the group provides for the singers themselves, beyond the community members in need. Group member Sandra Menes shared “The group is comforting for us. The songs and the music; I walk out more comforted after singing these songs with my community.”

Music on its own has the power to bring people together, but sharing that gift in a safe space, with freedom and encouragement to express oneself through music and words is even more powerful. Every member’s heart is in it, and they are open with themselves, each other, and the music. They are able to take what they have created within the walls of their beautiful synagogue community and share that gift with those who need it most. All the while, they are building friendships and enjoying themselves throughout the process.

Member Nancy Kriseman said Voices for Comfort and Healing is “probably [one of] the most important thing[s] I do in my life right now. And the friendships that we’ve all made with each other. We just have so much fun! It gets silly. It’s just been incredible.”

In rehearsal and during Shabbat services, members are given the opportunity to share thoughtful connections to each prayer and song, encouraging a beautiful integration of personal meaning and shared understanding.

When reflecting on what this group means to her, Shelley Cotlier, member, said “I wish I had sung to my mother as she was dying, so I want to do that for other people.”

Voices for Comfort and Healing has given her, and others, a space to share in the loss they have experienced. The group is a beacon of warmth, love, and kindness, and truly showcases what people can do for each other.

Goldsmith shared how “you can’t take away people’s pain, but you can give them comfort through presence and sound … it’s a core of Judaism for us as well. It’s how we express tikkun olam, the caring of the world, through music. And chesed: love and kindness.”

Cohen explained how “the ability to just sit with somebody and offer your presence and your love is really all you can do sometimes. But each one of us has the capacity to do that and to be that for somebody else … and each time [we sing for those in need], I and some other folks are surprised when we ourselves react in the moment to what that person is experiencing, because we’ve all been there, in one way or another. We all know loss.”

Voices for Comfort and Healing is more than a vocal group. It’s a community of people coming together to make a difference. Not only for others, but for themselves as well. As Goldsmith thoughtfully summed it up: “It’s so simple, but it’s so big. All these things come from it. This way of just honoring and being with each other.”

One song the group sings perfectly encompasses the impact and intent of Voices for Comfort and Healing: “I may not understand, but if you need a friend, I could sit with you.”

Voices for Comfort and Healing very much sees themselves as a resource for the broader Atlanta Jewish community, and anyone is welcome to call the CBH office at (404) 315-6446 to inquire about arranging a visit from them. It’s truly a gift that stays with you. Even after the melodies have faded, the feeling of purpose and connection lingers.