Seeking Cantorial student / soloist for our Inclusive Congregation, High Holy Days 2023
Job Description
Overview:
Shir Libeynu is a liberal, egalitarian, unaffiliated congregation in Toronto, Canada, that was established over 25 years ago. Our goals are to celebrate and experience joyfully all aspects of Jewish life and spirituality within an environment of inclusiveness, innovation, and intellectual challenge. We welcome new rituals and liturgy while recognizing and affirming the many paths our tradition offers.
Our diverse community welcomes all people, including interfaith, LGBTQ+, traditional and
non-traditional individuals and families. We are centrally located in Toronto, with Shabbat services at the Miles Nadal JCC in downtown Toronto. Since the onset of COVID we moved services online and are now offering a hybrid service, in-person and online.
We are looking for an innovative, compassionate cantorial student to work with our Spiritual Leader, Cantor Cheryl Wunch for the High Holy Days in the fall of 2023. We are looking for someone who would be interested and willing to provide leadership, enrich our Jewish spiritual practice, and help us grow and strengthen our community.
Qualifications
● Cantorial student, pulpit experience an asset
● Expertise and interest in exploring the relevance of traditional Jewish texts to contemporary
life
● Ability to engage with a wide range of congregants, including LGBTQ+, interfaith and
non-traditional individuals and families, as well as those from secular, liberal and Orthodox
backgrounds
● Able to work with and across generations
● Able or willing to work in Canada
Duties
● Work with Spiritual Leader to plan High Holy Day services
● Collaborate with the congregational singers and musicians (choir and small ensembles) to
incorporate music into services
● Coordinate with instrumentalists to ensure rich musical offerings
● Potentially offer children’s programming at various points throughout the chagim (open to
discussion)
Salary: $3600 USD
More about Congregation Shir Libeynu:
Our congregation comes from a variety of backgrounds—Reform, Reconstructionist, Conservative, Orthodox and secular—with varying degrees of Jewish education and experience. We are a community open to ideas and opportunities that will make a difference in the lives of our congregants.
As the longest-standing LGBTQ+-inclusive shul in the city, our rites and rituals reflect the diversity within our community. We are open to interfaith families celebrating at our smachot. We strive to accommodate people with disabilities.
In 1997, five committed women founded Shir Libeynu. Seventy people came to our first High Holy Days services. Since then we have grown to a community of about 300 people that pray, celebrate, mourn, learn, sing and dance together. We currently hold monthly Shabbat services that draw about 60 people. We have a B’Mitzvah program, a speakers’ series and other programs for adults. We are focussed on deepening our congregational life, increasing volunteerism and growing our congregation.
Visit our website: https://shirlibeynu.ca
Please send your resume and cover letter to slboard@shirlibeynu.com by May 15th, 2023. We thank you in advance for your application but can only respond to applicants who are selected for an interview.
