Cantor in Reform Judaism

The cantor (Hebrew: חַזָּן‎‎ hazzan) in the Reform movement is a clergy member who fills a diverse role within the Jewish community. Cantors lead worship, officiate at lifecycle events, teach adults and children, run synagogue music programs, and offer pastoral care. Cantors typically serve along with other clergy members, usually rabbis and occasionally additional cantors, in partnership to lead synagogue communities. The Reform cantor is a professional office with a prescribed educational path and professional organization. Cantors are "invested", a term borrowed from the idea of priestly vestments, at the conclusion of study. "Investiture" confers the status of clergy to cantors, just as "ordination" does for rabbis.

As of 2011, a decision has been made to "ordain" rather than "invest" cantors.

Cantors in the North American Reform Movement are trained by the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, School of Sacred Music. Located near New York University, the school offers the degree of Master of Sacred Music. Upon graduation, students receive formal investiture as cantor and then become eligible for membership in the American Conference of Cantors, the professional organization for cantors.

The School of Sacred Music was established in 1948 as a response to the "growing number of Reform congregations... prepared to employ a cantor if qualified individuals could be found," under the leadership of Eric Werner. American synagogues in the mid-twentieth century were increasingly populated by second generation American Jews and Jews who viewed themselves as fully American. These communities could no longer relate to the European-trained cantors of their communal past. Judah Cohen observes that "the American cantorial school rose on the crest of both a revival and reevaluation of the cantor in the postwar era. Placing standards of cantorial knowledge and ability within a curricular framework," the School of Sacred Music "attempted to improve the cantor's religious standing."

At its inception, the SSM was the first and only American cantorial school and sought to educate cantors to serve all American Jewish communities. While the school's founders, including the influential members of The Society for the Advancement of Jewish Liturgical Music, articulated their desire to create a cantorial school for all of American Jewry, particular attention was given to serving the Reform Movement's specific needs since the SSM's inception. HUC Dean Franzlblau conducted an exploratory survey of North American Reform congregations to gauge their "receptivity to cantor-educators in 1948." The results of the study revealed that congregations would be most receptive to hiring well-trained cantors who were prepared to take on significant education roles in synagogues. The school's earliest curriculum responded to this need, training what were called "cantor-educators," or cantors with additional training in education. Cantorial certification was awarded after three years of study. The SSM has since undergone a significant evolution, first offering a bachelor's degree in four years, beginning in the fall of 1953), and ultimately conferring a Master of Sacred Music over the course of five years and culminating with investiture as cantor.

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