Cantor Debby Gelber wants you to sing

Cantor Debby Gelber is a singer, first. Yet, when asked how she’s acclimated to the congregation at Temple Sinai in Cranston, where she’s been serving as cantor since January, she says: “it’s really all about listening.” Gelber, a Stonybrook, New York, native who grew up singing in her synagogue choir, followed a community-led trajectory into cantorial work.

Of that synagogue choir Gelber says, “I always liked participating more than just sitting” – but didn’t set out to become a cantor. It was after a series of positive experiences, including work with a lay-led synagogue in San Francisco, California, and a tenure as the cantor for Stanford Hillel, that she decided to pursue formal training at Hebrew College for a certificate in cantorial arts in 1999.

It was through a chance phone call that she incorporated the other major component of her practice: b-mitzvah tutoring. Gelber began her career as a cantor in 2000, serving as a tutor at Congregation Eitz Chayim in Cambridge, Massachusetts, under Rabbi Sherry Kohler Fox, and as a part-time cantorial soloist in Franklin, Massachusetts – both positions she still holds 25 years later.

As cantor at Temple Sinai, she works closely with Rabbi Jeff Goldwasser to craft engaging and meaningful services for those who observe. Gelber is delighted to be bringing her work to a congregation such as Sinai for one simple reason, “they love to sing!”

“I want to understand what the community enjoys, and what they already know,” she said, in a recent interview, positing that starting with more familiar tunes and versions of prayers will allow her to gradually introduce new ideas, too. Some of her favorite sources from which to draw are “music coming out of Israel, or [the Hadar Institute] in New York” that connects to Jewish history. She emphasizes the participatory nature of synagogue and the importance of singing together in community to strengthen the congregation’s connection to its Jewish roots.

The cantorial and rabbinical partnership is key to that goal. “I like to work with rabbis who are inspirational and organized,” said Gelber, laughing. “Rabbi Goldwasser is both. He really encourages me to bring my full self to the congregation.” Whether navigating small shifts and changes to daily goings on or the uncertainties posed for American Jewish communities since Oct. 7, 2023, Cantor Gelber and Rabbi Goldwasser work side by side, “it’s a partnership,” she said of the pairing.

Gelber said that, since coming to Sinai in January, there have been several poignant components of communal prayer, specifically related to the horrors unfolding in Gaza and the West Bank for Israelis and Palestinians alike. How does one balance the traditional joy of a weekly observance like Shabbat, with the marking of the return of hostage remains, or news of leafleting and threats of mass displacement and continued violence in Palestinian territories? Questions such as these, which often remain in question form for us, are the very issues that drive Gelber’s work. Her answer? Mindfulness.

“Rabbi Goldwasser and I are discussing introducing contemplative chanting meditation services,” she said. They hope that a specialized approach will allow for all congregants to take away what they individually need from prayer during this period.

Gelber also has a passion for teaching Torah chanting to both children and adults, emphasizing the importance of patience and scaffolding in learning. The most important things she emphasizes in her teaching are that practice decreases nerves, and that a close working relationship can allow for even the shyest people to feel empowered to raise their voices in song.

Her “big break,” she recalls, wouldn’t have come without her husband dutifully writing, by hand, the entirety of her first performance’s sheet music. She never forgets that act of care as she passes on similar patience and steadfastness to her students. Beyond the congregation, she and her husband’s joint love of music has permeated their family, too. One of Gelber’s three daughters fronts the band Good Judgement, “the spunkiest garage-folk band in the Northeast” as per their website. 

Whether the blessing is one you’ve recited for years, a tune or pronunciation new to you, or you are not familiar with Jewish prayer, Gelber has a message she hopes congregants and readers alike will take from her work:

“Don't be afraid to sing, you know? Even if you were told you shouldn't sing, or you should mouth the words,” she laughs, but continues seriously: “singing is everybody's right of self-expression.”

EMMA NEWBERY (enewbery@jewishallianceri.org) is a staff writer and podcast host for Jewish Rhode Island.