Cantor Rosalie Will is making history as the first cantor at Chicago's first and oldest Reform synagogue, Chicago Sinai Congregation.
"I don't take the story of the community and their rich musical tradition lightly," she said.
Chicago Sinai, located in the city's Gold Coast neighborhood, was founded in 1861 by a group of German Jews who wanted to hold onto their Jewish traditions and values while also assimilating into American culture.
Therefore, music was not the top priority in the early days of this 164-year-old congregation; the rabbi's sermon was the main focus.
"Sermons were an hour long and thousands of people would come. It was like a Sunday lecture," explained Senior Rabbi Amanda Greene, noting services were held on Sundays to coincide with other American worship.
As the congregation evolved, a musical program emerged, including a music director, song leader for the religious school, volunteer choir, and a quartet made up of professional singers from the Lyric Opera… but never a cantor.
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck and everyone scattered to Zoom, music was particularly challenging. "In March of 2020, you couldn't have four voices singing at the same time," said Greene. At that point, quiet conversations about the need for a cantor grew louder.
As the congregation returned to in-person services, all of the musical components came together with excitement, but it lacked "intentional meaning," she explained.
Then in 2024, both the music director and song leader departed, sparking discussions that revealed a range of musical desires across the congregation.
"It was clear that we needed a professional who understood the beauty of diverse experiences in music," Greene said.
The congregation sought guidance from Will. A former congregational cantor in the Washington D.C. area, she had spent the last eight years as a consultant, guiding synagogues nationwide as they coped with transitions in worship and music. She is also the lead worship consultant for the Union for Reform Judaism and founded
Sing Unto G-d,
a nonprofit working to train songleaders.
"She's the Reform movement's cantor," said Greene.
During a visit to help the congregation consider what a cantor might bring, Will joined Greene at the
bima
(pulpit) for a Shabbat service. Suddenly the consultant became a potential candidate.
"When we led services together, the feeling I had and the congregants experienced made us ask:
Is a candidate right in front of us?
," said Greene.
Though Will was ready to return to congregational leadership, she hadn't considered Chicago Sinai. After her visit, she joined the rigorous application process, and the match was made. "As a consultant, I got to help create wonderful communities to think differently, and then I'd wonder how it went. I missed some of that deeper, longer, ongoing connection," she said.
This past summer, she arrived in Chicago with her husband and high-profile plans for the synagogue.
"Chicago Sinai [can] really become a center for Jewish music in downtown Chicago," she said, "There are lots of opportunities for pop-up bands, sing-alongs, folk music, or any other kind of music."
In addition to overseeing the music program, Will also leads the synagogue's social justice efforts, a role she's uniquely prepared to fill at this challenging time for the Jewish community.
"I've been all over the place and learned a lot about how to navigate sensitive issues and use music to build relationships," she said. "If we all want peace or we all want justice, we can sing about that. We can't really argue if we are singing together."
"Our sanctuary's more full on a Friday night than it's been in years. People need and want to come to Shabbat, I think the world is bringing people in, and [Cantor Will] is there to welcome them," Greene said.
Julie Mangurten Weinberg is a Chicago-based freelance journalist with 25+ years of experience in broadcast, print, and digital media.
