Photo by Scott Gray
Deborah Katchko-Gray
Deborah Katchko-Gray (Wheelock’79) of Ridgefield, Conn., was included in Modern Judaica: Today’s Makers, Today’s Sacred Objects (Schiffer Craft, 2023) by Jim Cohen. She was interviewed about her Swedish weaving–style prayer shawls, table runners, wall hangings, and challah covers. She published a book about it as well, Prayerful Creations (Bookbaby, 2019). In 2022, Deborah was invited to present workshops and master classes at the European Cantors Association’s annual convention in Budapest, Hungary. “It was very moving, as my grandfather, Cantor Adolph Katchko, left Budapest in 1921 due to rising anti-Semitism,” she writes. “Being there, presenting his music at a beautifully restored Rumbach Synagogue, was a dream come true.” Deborah’s organization, the Women Cantors’ Network, helped create the Women of the Wall Choir, a group of 15 young women who sing at monthly services at the Kotel, or Wailing Wall, in Jerusalem. Email her at cantordebbie@gmail.com.
From the Summer 2023 issue.