(Left to right) Rabbis…David Small, Ari Weiss, Gary Atkins, Gary Lavitt, Shaya Gopin, Steve Chatinover, Mordechai Weiss, Richard Plavin and Daniel Lowe.

Nine rabbis took to the stage at Beth David Synagogue in West Hartford one recent Saturday evening…and not one of them delivered a sermon. Instead, in an evening hosted by the Bess & Paul Sigel Hebrew Academy of Greater Hartford to raise funds for the school’s 8th grade Israel trip, the rabbis put on an all-in-good-fun talent show. Rabbi Gary Atkins (Beth Hillel Synagogue, Bloomfield) sang, as did Rabbi David Small (The Emanuel Synagogue, West Hartford), and Rabbi Mordechai Weiss, (principal, Sigel Hebrew Academy, Bloomfield) and Rabbi Ari Weiss (Agudas Achim Synagogue, West Hartford). Rabbi Gary Lavitt (Hebrew Home Synagogue, West Hartford) played Beethoven on the piano. Rabbi Steven Chatinover (Solomon Schechter Day School, West Hartford) told some jokes, as did Rabbi Daniel Loew, (principal, Hebrew High School of New England – HHNE), Rabbi Richard Plavin (Beth Sholom B’nai Israel. Manchester), and Rabbi Shaya Hecht (Chabad House, West Hartford). When all was said and done, Rabbi Small was voted the rabbi with, well, the most talent…and everyone enjoyed a breakfast of waffles, served up by HHNE students.