Becoming a Rabbi

The short version, in response to the question that was asked in class, is that I began my career as a professional singer. I had studied voice and opera at the University of Michigan (GO BLUE!) and the University of Illinois, in Urbana Champaign.

After grad school, I made my way to the big city of Chicago and needed to find a way to support myself. I ended up finding a position as a cantorial soloist and music director of the very small Reform Congregation Kol Ami in the Water Tower Building on Michigan Ave. They used to call it "Da Shul in Da Sky" because our sanctuary was in an office suite on the 9th floor (yes, it was above the mall). I fell in love with congregational life in that synagogue and had a wonderful mentor in Rabbi Steve Denker. Rabbi Denker let me follow him everywhere. We did weddings, funerals, made hospital visits. He was an amazing mentor for me.

Eventually, I decided that the opera singing career was not my destiny (now you know why I insist that we sing so much in class!). After 5 years with the congregation, I decided to apply to Rabbinical School at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, the Reform Movement's Rabbinical School. Rabbinical School is a 5 year program and all students spend the first year living in Jerusalem. It was an incredible experience. I was ordained in 2005 and the rest, as they say, is history.

For more on me, check out my bio. A soy decaf latte will get you the longer version, but I cannot guarantee that it will be more interesting!