Testimonials

“Rabbi, I want to thank you for performing the wedding ceremony for my daughter Amy Balsam and Javier Estrada this past Saturday. What a lovely ceremony!! You truly made it personal and explained the ceremony beautifully. My guests were all impressed as was I, Amy’s father and Javier’s mother. Thanks again.”

“First of all, the ceremony on Saturday was absolutely beautiful. Part of our family is of Jewish origin in Eastern Europe, part is Catholic Eastern European, and now part is South American – I tell you this because I received comments from all elements of the family telling me how beautiful the ceremony was. No one felt excluded (religiously), and this was wonderful.”

“Thank you for officiating at the beautiful ceremony of my daughter’s wedding to Michael. You have a beautiful voice and we really appreciated your singing the benedictions. It was our first experience with an interfaith ceremony and we were very impressed with all the traditions. May God bless you and yours.” 

“Ron, We just wanted to thank you for such a beautiful ceremony ! And funny too!…..Extremely informative explaining every custom. Everyone was raving about it, and loved it. You really helped make the day easy and fun…..thank you so much again!” 

“Dear Ron, Yuri and I cannot thank you enough for the beautiful ceremony yesterday. I’m sorry we didn’t get to say a proper goodbye; we got so wrapped up with the first dance we couldn’t break away. We are so thankful to have had you there to marry us and we will forever be grateful to you! I think you have acquired a pretty large fan base from our wedding attendees….they all thought you were wonderful! Thank you again. Yuri and I are very happy and look forward to a wonderful life together! Your friends, Yuri and Brielle PS – maybe we’ll call you for the bris! Hahah” 

“I just wanted to tell you that everyone at my daughters Bat Mitzvah was incredibly impressed with your service the Jewish and the non-Jewish alike. If you ever need a referral I would be very happy to provide one. We couldn’t have asked for a better service. ” 

“Dear Rabbi Ron: You were the best and we all appreciate your assistance that helped make Marisa’s Bat Mitzvah so special. You were terrific to work with and I would be happy to recommend you to anyone, call on me if you would like a letter to add to your files. Again, sincere thanks.” 

“Hardly a day goes by without fond mention of Ron’s awesome Bar Mitzvah. Not only were we deeply touched by the beautiful and unique ceremony, but all in attendance (many of them unfamiliar with Jewish ceremonies) were transformed by the experience. I certainly do, and will continue to mention you every opportunity I get. Take care.” 

“Ron, We were so proud of Ian. He did such a nice job and we have gotten so many calls about the service! Everyone just thought you were terrific and the service was so warm! Please let us know if we can ever be a reference for you for another student!!! Thanks again!” 

“Thank you so much for the wonderful ceremony. Your guitar added a beautiful touch. Everyone commented on how enjoyable it was. Lenny is fantastic. Bradley really enjoyed having him as a tutor.” 

“Hi Ron, We are just winding down from celebrating. What a fantastic day we had. We received so many compliments on your service and on Doug’s readings. You and Sharon were a perfect team for Doug from preparation to the ceremony. Within the next couple of months we will contact you as we prepare for Spencer’s Bar Mitzvah. We are looking at November 2010, sometime before Thanksgiving (probably earlier in the month). We would like to continue using Sharon as Spencer’s tutor.” 

“Dear Ron, Allen, Jason and my family would like you to know how thankful we are that you performed Jason’s Bar-Mitzvah service. Your voice is beautiful and the whole family admired your guitar playing and words of wisdom!! The service was LOVELY. We will certainly recommend you to our friends who are in similar situations. Again, words cannot express our gratitude on how you handled Jason’s service. Thank you so much for all of your guidance and help!” 

“Ron We had so many wonderful comments about how beautiful the service was. Thank you so much, it was just what we envisioned for Sophia when I first called you. She was very proud of herself, just as we were proud of her. You did a great job with Sophia and I know how obstinate she was at times. We will also miss seeing you on Tuesdays. Eric and I would like to make a donation in your honor, do you have a favorite charity, or cause? Have a good year.” 

“Dear Ron, Thank you so much — for the wonderful ceremony yesterday and for all you did over the past 18 months. I was very, very pleased with everything Nick learned and I thought the service was absolutely lovely. In fact, many people made a special point of telling me they thought so, too. Even my husband the atheist was completely delighted! It was the perfect Act I to an incredibly fulfilling and joyous day. Best, Tracy” 

“Rabbi, I’d like to thank you again for giving my mother such a beautiful funeral. You conduct yourself with a very gentle and sincere countenance. We visited my brother Isaac afterwards, and I know your service as well as her children reunited would have pleased my mother greatly.” 

“Dear Rabbi Broden, I just want to thank you for doing such a wonderful job at my mother, Joy Raden’s, funeral today. Your remarks not only captured the essence of my mother as a person but were also delivered in a comforting and healing manner. I left the ceremony feeling calm and peaceful. You did a mitzvah by helping me through my grieving process. I spoke to the others in attendance, and everybody else felt exactly the same way” 

“Please accept this donation to your discretionary fund in memory of our mother and grandmother. We all thank you for the lovely service which you conducted and for the eulogy which celebrated her life. To all in attendance it sounded as if you knew her very well.” 

“Ron: I wanted to let you know how much I appreciated your handling of my mother’s funeral and unveiling this past weekend. If I hadn’t known better, I would have sworn you had known her all your life! You were able to pick out the salient points in the stories we all threw at you just moments before you had to speak, and you helped us through a most difficult time with grace and dignity – and a sense of humor my parents would have appreciated.” 

“Dear Ron, I wanted to thank you for the wonderful service you conducted on Sunday for mom and dad. I heard so many nice comments from my family and friends, and I know mom and dad would tell you the same if they could! If I’m in need of a Rabbi in the future, you will be the man I call. I’m so happy to live in the age of the internet or we never would have found you. Again, thank you so much.” 

“Dear Cantor Broden, Just a note to say thank you for making Skylar’s Bat Mitzvah so wonderful. You did a great job (and of course so did Skylar!). I am so pleased that I found you on the Internet because both my granddaughters were able to partake in the wonderful ceremonies that they perhaps would not have been able to under other circumstances. We thoroughly enjoyed your music and your humor also. I hope other people are as lucky as we were to have you conduct the ceremony. We will certainly recommend you to anyone who is in search of a Rabbi/Cantor for any ceremony–Bar or Bat Mitzvah or Wedding. So a big thank you for making our day so wonderful–these moments are the ones we cherish.” 

“Dear Ron, Alex and I feel like we just had the greatest day of lives. Our families and friends were so touched by your words, your style and by your incredible voice. My parents felt like you spoke like you knew us a long time, and everyone felt that we had found the perfect officient in you. We have two nephews in our car right now as we are all caravanning to the Catskills, and we could not be happier. If we can be a reference for you in any way, provide a quote on your website, just let us know. We feel like more same sex couples – any couples – need to find you! ” 

“Ron, Pardon me for this late message of thanks for your quality program and everything that you (and Teddy Klaus) did to enable Aaron to have his Bar Mitzvah. Of course, Aaron, his father, and the rest of us all did our part and the wonderful people who came and brought their enthusiasm and good spirits did theirs. Having the event on Passover added to the good will and pleasure of the experience. However, without you, it could never have happened. You are a great person, inspiring Cantor/Rabbi and wonderful musician. It was great to sing LShana Habba-ah at the end and even with the English translation available to help everyone join in. Best wishes, Muriel Morris ” 

“Dear Ron, Just wanted to send a note of Thanks for the details, the Italian, and the joyous sentiment of Judaism, and love that you infused into our wedding ceremony. I have been getting emails and phone calls about how incredible our Rabbi was and his song and his inclusion of Italian. Thank you for making our day so meaningful for all. Much love and joy to you and your family. God bless, Maria and Daniel Hyman ” 

“Hello Cantor Broden. We wanted to thank you so much for a beautiful bar mitzvah service and for working so hard with Shane. We were so pleased. Please use us as a reference for any future students. Thanks again. Sincerely, Mona ” 

“I can’t express how thankful we are to you for such a beautiful ceremony this weekend. Everything was perfect, and our guests were impressed with how personable you were. We couldn’t have asked for a nicer person. We will always remember you. Yours truly, Chris & Erika Gunther ” 

“Hi Ron: You may have seen that I just sent a note to Sara thanking her for all her work with Daniel. Similarly, Isabel and I want to express our thanks, gratitude and appreciation to you for helping get Daniel to and through his Bar Mitzvah. As you know, Sara did a great job tutoring Daniel and we thank you for hooking us up with Sara. You were a great help in setting up the lessons and then providing us with all the materials we would need for the ceremony. As was the case with Alexander’s Bar Mitzvah, the ceremony you conducted was beautiful and dignified, interesting and fun. Everyone remarked to Isabel & me about how much they enjoyed the ceremony and what you brought to it. We wish you every blessing and thank you for enabling this very significant moment in Daniel’s and our lives. All the best to you. Warmly, Tom & Isabel ” 

“Dear Rabbi Broden, Sheldon and I would like to thank you for making Jessica and Jarred’s wedding ceremony such a beautiful and meaningful one. Many of our guests commented on the service you preformed and told us how much they enjoyed it. We can only hope that Jessica and Jarred’s life together will be as wonderful as their wedding was. Thank you so much. ” 

“I just have to take a brief moment to say thank you sooooooooo much! I had a vision of what the day would be like and you blew me out of the water. You are so charming and kind. With a beautiful voice. The service was beyond delightful!! I can’t wait for Garrett’s bar mitzvah. It was an absolute pleasure to have you as the main event in Sydney’s day. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. And I think our family wants to adopt you!!! You are now very popular here. Thanks again! Use me as a glowing reference whenever you need to! ” 

“Hi Ron, I want to thank you again for such a beautiful and meaningful service. We were so impressed with your singing and especially playing the guitar. You gave such a personal touch to the service and made it so much more interesting than a traditional Shabbat service in the synagogue. Lauren did such a terrific job with her torah and Haftorah portions and really read the English speeches so nice and slowly. Sara was so patient with Lauren and went through all of the Hebrew with her so diligently. Everyone was calling us to tell us how much they enjoyed the service. Also, my mom, Barbara Rifkin (the woman who told you that she thought you would be a great candidate for American Idol), gave your name/number to a friend of hers, Judy Davis, whose daughter and her partner plan to have a bnei mitzvah for their twins in Westchester. Hopefully they will call you. Thanks again!!!! Barrie ” 

“Cantor Broden: Just wanted to again thank you for performing a beautiful Bat Mitzvah for our daughter.We have had friends say that want to convert to Judaism because it was the most memorable service they had ever attended. Our Jewish friends and family also raved about the meaningfulness of it. Of course, everyone enjoyed the party but the true highlight of the night was the ceremony. Gary & Sheila” 

“Hi Ron, I wanted to thank you again for leading such a meaningful and enjoyable service on Saturday. It couldn’t have gone any better! We received many complements on the service, people enjoyed your explanations of the traditions, your singing and the way you led the service. One Jewish friend noted it was the most meaningful Bar Mitzvah he’s attended. Thanks again! We’ll touch base in a few months to start coordinating James’ Bar Mitzvah which will be in Fall of 2014. Speak with you soon. Ken ” 

“Dear Rabbi, Your name has been referred to me by both Wendy Schwartzberg and Shari Schwartz, two friends who rave about you. My daughter Marley is to be Bat Mitzvah this year, on a Sunday tbd in April or early May 2014. We are planning a morning service for her at Orange Lawn Tennis Club with family and close friends in attendance. I would love to speak with you about performing the service as well as tutoring to prepare. We are not affiliated with a synagogue. ” 

“My wife and I are an interfaith couple (her Muslim and I Jewish). We wanted a religious ceremony in which both families would accept and approve of. Rabbi Broden listened to all our concerns and tailored a ceremony specifically for us. The ceremony was absolutely perfect in every way. Both conservative Muslims and conservative Jewish family members said how much they loved the ceremony. Rabbi Brodens singing voice was amazing and brought tears to our eyes. I highly recommend Rabbi Broden for any wedding in the Tri-State area.” 

“Rabbi Broden was very professional and friendly. He took the time to meet with us, provide us with sample ceremonies and was very easy to contact when we had questions. It was a pleasure to find someone who was willing to work with clergy of another faith and perform a beautiful ceremony. We were so pleased that we have asked Rabbi Broden to also co-officiate our baby naming ceremony as well!” 

“Ron was a pleasure to work with. My husband and I actually planned on doing our vow renewal ceremony earlier, but changed our plans, and Ron was very accommodating. He put together a beautiful ceremony for us and worked around all of our requests. He answered all of our questions promptly and helped us find items we needed. And he sang beautifully. Ron helped make our day wonderful and memorable.” 

“Cantor Broden made my special day all the more beautiful. Everyone spoke of his beautiful vows and singing. We were all so well pleased as well as touched. He made my husband and I feel so very special on our day. Our wedding was an interfaith ceremony and Cantor Broden and the Reverand performed the ceremony wonderfully. I highly recommend Cantor Broden to anyone who wants a beautiful and heartfelt ceremony.” 

“Hi Ron, Thank you so much for the beautiful ceremony you performed, everyone said it was the most inspirational ceremony they have ever witnessed! Vienna & Michael ” 

“My husband and I got married at National Arts Club in NY. We are from LA and so had a lot of anxiety about doing the event so far away. We found Ron Broden, and we asked for his help. We had a couple of calls and and a meeting with cantor Broden. He did a great job of planning the event, taking into account our needs and listening to our preferences and expectations. My husband is Jewish and I am Christian. He provided an incredible job at combining the traditions of two different religions. He made the event personal, which made it very special for us. Cantor Broden was cheerful and helped set the tone for the entire day. He was on time, and very well dressed. Again, all of our guests commented that he was one of the best wedding officiants they had ever seen. His style was very inclusive, and he made it a point to make everyone there feel part of our special day in a way I have never seen before. ” 

“I really must say that Rabbi Ron Broden was amazing!! He has a beautiful singing voice but beyond that he has an empathy for those around him. His intuitiveness of what we needed and wanted our day to be was evident in his communications as well as the ceremony on our wedding. Our guests are still talking about him over a year later. We are an interfaith couple but we really wanted was our cultures of origin to shine. So we said our vows in Hebrew, Italian, and English. It brought great meaning for us as well as our families and expressed the respect that we as a couple joining our 2 cultures in matrimony and our officiant as well had for this important factor of our lives. Thank you, Rabbi Broden for a wonderful memory!” 

“My wife and I are an interfaith couple (her Muslim and I Jewish). We wanted a religious ceremony in which both families would accept and approve of. Rabbi Broden listened to all our concerns and tailored a ceremony specifically for us. The ceremony was absolutely perfect in every way. Both conservative Muslims and conservative Jewish family members said how much they loved the ceremony. Rabbi Brodens singing voice was amazing and brought tears to our eyes. I highly recommend Rabbi Broden for any wedding in the Tri-State area.” 

“Dear Ron, Thank you so much for our beautiful wedding ceremony yesterday: I’m sorry I did not have a chance to thank you in person afterwards, but I know you had to leave for another event. We really felt your warmth and connection during the ceremony , your words (and singing) were wonderful, and the ceremony was absolutely right for us (as individuals and as a couple). With best wishes, Jane and Peggy ” 

“Hello Ron, I hope you are doing well and have had a good year. I cannot believe more than a year has gone by since Sam’s Bar Mitzvah. It’s truly unbelievable to me how quickly time just zooms. I want to thank you for a very wonderful and memorable day. It was truly unique and joyful and I couldn’t have hoped for better. I am very sorry that it has taken me this long to thank you. Sam and all of us are truly greatful that you made his day a special and memorable one. We wish you all the best in the years to come. I will forward you some photos when I get around to organizing that. As you can see it takes me a very long time to get around to doing some things. Again, a huge thank you With sincere regards, Tanya Morton ” 

“Ron, Thank you so much for braving the snow and performing our wedding ceremony! Everybody had the most wonderful things to say about the ceremony. We really felt you did a terrific job at making it personal and special for us. Our families and friends really thought you did an excellent job. And we of course were very pleased as well. We will be sure to recommend you to a friend of ours in the future. Thanks again! ” 

“Ron, Thanks again for everything. David came through very well, and I got a lot of compliments regarding your ceremony. I’ll get in touch with you when we figure out when we choose to have Jake’s Bar Mitzvah. Have a good summer. Ted ” 

“Dear Rabbi Broden, Now that we’ve finally come up for air after this weekend, we all wanted to sincerely thank you for making Noah’s Bar Mitzvah such a wonderful occasion. We appreciate the wonderful ceremony you led, and also you braving the East River winds which we know wasn’t easy! We know that this day will be a special memory for all of us and we are so happy that you were a major part of it. Only two more years to go until Avery is next!  All the best, Michele, Michael & Noah PS – Wishing you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year! ” 

“Hi Ron, Great ceremony–all of our family most pleased you performed a beautiful Jewish ceremony – that was respectful towards the Jewish and non-Jewish family and guests and most importantly to all short, sweet to the point and easy to sit through. We got so many comments about how nice the ceremony was. You were a wonderful beginning to the most important part of the day. Best regards, Barbara & Alan Shinbaum ”