Posted on July 1, 2011
The Chattler Family
At Temple Beth David there are some very musical congregants. Take for instance the Chattler family who resides in Seal Beach. Members since the end of 1988, Steven and Lisa Chattler and their daughters Hilary, now 22, and Andrea, 19, love music. Steve plays the drums, Lisa the oboe (since age 14), and Andrea is in college pursuing her career goal to become a music therapist. The whole clan has an annual tradition of going to a family music (performing arts) camp in the Redwoods of northern California. Andrea and Lisa even volunteer for the radio station KJZZ, and you can find Steve and Lisa playing in the South Coast Simcha Band — they say the best part about that is making music with their best friends. One of the family’s most exciting moments even revolves around music…Andrea played in the All-State Honor Jazz Band last year!
Steven and Lisa are both southern California natives, Steven from Reseda and Lisa from Orange County. Steven grew up in a traditional Jewish household, was Bar Mitzvahed, and enjoyed his time in USY and other Jewish youth groups. Though Lisa’s family wasn’t particularly observant, they were members of their local Jewish Community Center and she went to Jewish camps. Thanks to a Jewish dating service the two united and have been married 23 years.
Professionally, Steven is in the plywood business and Lisa is a speech and language pathologist for the Los Alamitos School District. Lisa is very dedicated to her students and strives to bring out the best in everyone she works with. “It’s about valuing who they are as people,” Lisa feels. She says what really makes her most happy at work is when she sees her students succeed at school, home, and the community.
Education has always been important to the Chattlers. And for Lisa, it was the “in” career to have for her parents, as well. Her mom worked for the Anaheim Union High School District and her dad for the Hebrew Academy. Education was the reason the Chattlers joined Temple Beth David. They were looking for a geographically desirable Jewish pre-school for the children (plus they liked Rabbi Front). The girls were both Bat Mitzvahed and the ceremony included a special Havdalah service. And, the family especially enjoys, you guessed it, the musical Shabbat services. Lisa served on the Board many years ago and the family has very dear friends due to their Temple affiliation.
In their free time, Lisa plays in the Huntington Beach Concert Band, the Southern California Philharmonic Orchestra, and the JCC Chamber Orchestra. In addition to the South Coast Simcha Band, Steve performs in Red Shift Echo, a local rock band. Listening to music is also a joy. The two absolutely love going to hear famed jazz musician Tom Kubis’ Big Band play every month. They also enjoy taking their three rescue dogs – Ziggy a white poodle mix, Shaina a Golden Retriever, and Lylah a labradoodle to the dog park. Yet at the very top of their list is the joy and love they feel for their two precious daughters. Hilary graduated last year from the University of Delaware where she was a Kappa Alpha Theta. After earning a degree in Hotel Restaurant Management she went on to become an Assistant Manager for a restaurant chain and lives in Arlington, Virginia.
Andrea is now a sophomore at the University of the Pacific, in the honors program, a member of Alpha Phi sorority, active in Hillel, and plays in the school’s wind ensemble.
If you don’t yet know the Chattlers (or even if you do), go up and introduce yourselves and/or get to know them even better. They have wonderful smiles, a song in their hearts, and will surely bring music to your ears!