26 | AUGUST 24 • 2023 OUR COMMUNITY A s a child, Temple Emanu-El’s new cantor, Rosalie Toubes, loved going to Hebrew school. “I want- ed to be there all the time, ” she recalls. At some point, the synagogue where her family belonged in her hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, began experi- menting with holding Hebrew school on Saturday instead of Sunday. For Toubes, who grew up in a Conservative Jewish household, it was a welcome change. “I liked being there for services on Saturday mornings, ” she says. Toubes was particularly drawn to the singing of the cantor, a man named Chaim, who she recalls as having a “glorious” voice. “I remember as a young person just sit- ting there and being absolutely enthralled with his voice and the music he provided, ” she remembers. “He wasn’t just singing; he was praying. ” Chaim’s voice served as an inspiration for young Toubes, who many years later decid- ed to pursue cantorial school and follow in his footsteps. She first studied psychology and vocal performance, beginning her career as a soloist in Boston, then went on to attend Hebrew Union College in New York City, where she was ordained and received a master’s in sacred music. “I realized that was a good fit for me, ” she says of attending Hebrew Union College. “I wanted to pursue a career as a cantor. ” Toubes’ first pulpit was a congregation in Peabody, Massachusetts. She then moved on to a congregation in Brookline. While working in Massachusetts, Toubes decided to also get a certification in teaching so she could teach music to students as well. Following her certification, Toubes worked as Shabbat educator at a congrega- tion in Needham, Massachusetts, managing Shabbat education for children and teens. RETURNING TO THE MIDWEST Now, Toubes is excited to continue her cantorial journey at Temple Emanu-El, where she began her new role on July 1. “I’m excited to be back in the Midwest, ” she says. Toubes was selected by Temple Emanu-El’s clergy selection committee, which conducted a nationwide search for the perfect fit for their open cantor position. “One of the things I really wanted at this point in my life was to move to a congregation that felt really comfortable and like home, ” Toubes says. “Rabbi Matthew Zerwekh and President David Gubow were so welcoming and interested in making my interview experience positive. “I really felt that they wanted me to succeed, ” she adds, “and that made a big difference for me. ” Toubes calls the Metro Detroit Jewish community reception “wonderful” and has enjoyed getting to know the congregation. “The congregation turned up and they were smiling and singing along that first day [I began my role], which was wonderful, ” she says. She’s particularly drawn to the temple’s focus on tikkun olam, or the Jewish concept of repairing the world. “I really admire and can relate to that, ” Toubes says. VERSATILE APPROACH As the Oak Park-based Reform synagogue continues to get to know its new cantor, Toubes says the congregation can expect a versatile approach to song and prayer. “My training is classical with opera, ” she says of her unique singing style. Yet working with the Reform movement, in particular, has taught Toubes a mix of Orthodox and Conservative traditional song and prayer, but also contemporary Jewish music with instruments. “I like doing all of it, ” she says of the different Jewish genres. While Temple Emanu-El is planning a congregation-wide picnic in August where Toubes will continue to get to know the community-at-large, she’s enjoying the day- to-day process of ramping up in her new role and learning the ins-and-outs of the synagogue. “Generally speaking, I’m really looking forward to what I can contribute to Temple Emanu-El in a new way, ” she says. Her plans include starting an adult and junior choir, bringing guest artists to the community and working with the b’nai mitzvah program. “That’s such an important point of a Jewish person’s life, ” she says. Other goals that Toubes has set include bringing more music to the religious school and preschool programs and, of course, meeting her colleagues in the Metro Detroit area. “It’s exciting, ” she says of the future. “It’s been great so far. ” Rosalie Toubes joins the temple family from Boston. Temple Emanu-El’s New Cantor Savors the Role ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER Cantor Rosalie Toubes JAMIE FELDMAN