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Voices of Change: An Interview with Cantor Riki Lippitz
October 15, 2025
As a pioneering woman in her field, Cantor Riki Lippitz appreciated that change could be unsettling. When she first arrived at New Jersey’s Oheb Shalom Congregation as its first female cantor, some congregants were uncertain about what her presence might...
Entering the New Year with Prayer and Song
September 17, 2025
As the Jewish New Year approaches, Rosh Hashanah invites us to reflect on the past and look ahead with hope. Its prayers and melodies carry themes of judgment and mercy, awe and renewal. At the heart of this experience is...
Voices of Change: How Far We’ve Come—and What’s Still Ahead
August 13, 2025
Half a century ago, Barbara Ostfeld became the first woman ordained as a cantor—a milestone that transformed Jewish musical leadership. Since then, women have gone from rare exceptions to senior cantors in major congregations, leaders of cantorial schools, and creative...
Wonder, Winding Roads, and Song: Cantor Vera Broekhuysen's Journey
July 16, 2025
A cross‑country road trip, the loss of her parents, a visit to a church, and a moment of spontaneous prayer. Although the trail had already been blazed by women cantors before her, for Vera Broekhuysen, the journey to becoming a...
From Exclusion to Elevation—The Journey of a Cantorial Pioneer
June 17, 2025
As a girl growing up in Milwaukee, Nancy Abramson couldn’t imagine a woman serving as a cantor. Today, she is one of the most respected voices in Jewish sacred music—and a guiding force for the next generation.In this Voices of...
A New Interview and a West Coast Premiere
May 13, 2025
“I wasn’t going to be a cantor. Girls didn’t become cantors.”So begins Faith Steinsnyder’s remarkable story of becoming a cantor; and it could have ended there, had it not been for the ordination of Cantor Barbara Ostfeld in 1975. In...
A Voice at the Center: Cantor Emma Lutz and the Evolving Role of Women in Worship
April 8, 2025
As senior cantor at Stephen Wise Temple in Los Angeles, Emma Lutz stands at the forefront of a powerful lineage. With that comes the weight of honoring the past and the women who paved the way, as well as shaping...
Celebrating Women’s History Month: The Voices That Shaped Jewish Worship
March 11, 2025
When Barbara Ostfeld became the first woman invested as a cantor in 1975, it was a groundbreaking moment in Jewish history. But was it truly the beginning?In celebration of Women's History Month, our latest article, A Historical Look at Jewish...
Two Sacred Legacies: Cantors Deborah Katchko-Gray and Benzion Miller
February 11, 2025
For generations, the cantorate was passed from father to son, rarely questioned within Jewish communities. But what happens when a daughter feels that same calling?Our second installment of “Voices of Change: 50 Years of Women in the Cantorate” features Deborah...
Honoring Women Who Reshaped the Sound of Jewish Worship
January 14, 2025
From our contemporary vantage point it can be difficult to imagine a time when only male voices were heard singing the words of the Torah. And yet, that time was not so long ago.This year marks the 50th anniversary of...
