It takes an average of 25 days to fill a job opening in this country. That increases to 45 days when you look at higher-salaried positions. In Temple Chai’s case, it’s taken more than two years to find the right person to fill the role of cantor. Why? It’s mostly because Temple Chai was not willing to settle for anything less than the perfect prayer partner, spiritual leader and musical guide. And they had to figure out what that was before they could even look for who fit the description.
“Music is one of the cornerstones of our culture,” explains Temple Chai Senior Rabbi Mari Chernow. “We take communal prayer seriously and just love to sing together.”
Over the past two years, Temple Chai has taken the opportunity to “try on” different musical styles and personalities through a combination of musical guest artists, cantorial soloists and well-respected song leaders from across the country. “It took us two years,” says Rabbi Chernow, “because we were committed to doing this right.”
“We’ve been fortunate,” says Temple Chai President Debbie Blyn. “We’ve had our outstanding and dedicated Cantor Emerita Sharona Feller, who provided guidance, spirituality and hands-on leadership. We also had several cantorial soloists, scholars-in-residence and visiting cantors lead our worship. Our High Holiday services for the past two years were led by Cantor Sharona Feller and then Cantorial Soloist Allan Naplan.”
Temple leadership was always eager to gain congregant feedback after various candidates sang on the bimah. The information garnered helped the leadership clarify what the congregation wanted and needed in a full-time cantor.
“Formal feedback from congregants was requested after a candidate for the full-time cantor position visited Temple Chai,” says Blyn. “However, the clergy and lay leadership at Temple Chai is always happy to speak with any congregant about issues, concerns or just to provide feedback.”
So while there was no formal feedback process regarding itinerant clergy, congregants shared their views informally after those visits. Those opinions helped inform the leadership and cantor search committee members as they went through a visioning process to create the job description they ultimately put forward to the American Conference of Cantors, an affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism.
The process was drawn out, because “We didn’t find a candidate who fully met our needs and could be a clergy partner for our rabbis,” explains Blyn.
Temple Chai is thrilled to have found that partner in Cantor Ross Wolman, who takes the cantorial helm this July. Cantor Wolman has been assistant cantor at Congregation B’nai Yehoshua Beth Elohim in Deerfield, IL, for the past four years. Prior to that he was the cantor at Sukkat Shalom in Wilmette, IL, and also enjoyed stints in his hometown of Lancaster, PA, as well as leading services in Maryland, Israel and Ukraine.
Cantor Wolman was seeking a vibrant, welcoming community, “where I could fuel my passion for ritual and prayer, learning and teaching, social action, Hebrew and more.” He was also searching for the right environment to raise his family, which consists of his wife, Malka, whom he calls “the love of my life,” his 2½-year-old, boy-girl twins, Bina and Aviv, and his 1-year-old son Eliyahu (Elie.)
“I was impressed with Temple Chai’s dedication to learning and nourishing an individual’s spiritual journey through prayer, study and healing,” he says.
The cantor search process for Temple Chai “is a very interactive process,” explains Blyn. “We’ve had cantors before and fully understand their role in a synagogue. In addition, we have experienced rabbis who know what they need and want in a clergy partner. This year, we worked with our search committee to articulate what skills and style would best fit Temple Chai. Our senior rabbi, Mari Chernow, was integral to this process.”
But all of the research, clarity and articulation can only get you so far. There’s a certain amount of chemistry involved and, as a member of the cantor search committee, I can attest that everyone who met Cantor Wolman was wowed by his warmth, thoughtfulness and passion. Rabbi Chernow concurs. “From the very first interview with Cantor Wolman and all the way through his recent house-hunting visit, we have just loved getting to know him. His passions match ours – participatory prayer, expansive innovation, Israel and the Hebrew language, singing with kids and adults of all ages.”
At the same time, Rabbi Chernow is grateful to have the additional skill set Cantor Wolman will bring to the Temple Chai clergy team. “He will round out our team, bringing tremendous professionalism and creativity. We are truly delighted to welcome him to Phoenix and to Temple Chai.”
