Song leaders strike a chord with congregants at Temple Emanuel
“Temple Emanuel is a uniquely musical congregation,” he said.
“Bashert” is how Jacob Shinder describes his first month as song leader at Temple Emanuel of South Hills. As a child, Shinder kept rhythm on his doumbek while his mother, a rabbi, led their congregation in prayer, guitar in hand.
“That’s how I express my Judaism,” Shinder told the Chronicle. “With music.”
Over the years, he traded his doumbek for a trumpet before teaching himself to play guitar during the pandemic. Now, he serves as a cantorial intern at Temple Emanuel, where music has become both his calling and connection to his faith.
“Temple Emanuel is a uniquely musical congregation,” he said. “It has been so rewarding to provide the music, and to experience the music through prayer with the congregants. They don’t hold back — they love to sing.”
Raised in New Jersey, Shinder attended Temple Beth Shalom in Florida, New York. But his Pittsburgh roots run deep. His grandfather, Fredric Pomerantz, was a rabbi at Rodef Shalom. Known as “the Jazz Rabbi,” Pomerantz blended traditional Jewish liturgical music with folk, rock and jazz — all in an effort to make worship more accessible.
Shinder noted that continuing this legacy of accessibility — providing a space for people to come “as they are” — defines his cantorial practice. He draws from the works of musicians like Dan Nichols, Debbie Friedman and Craig Taubman, mostly accompanying himself on guitar while congregants join him in song.
“I could have the best voice in the world, but what does that mean when I could focus on getting other people to sing and join with me?” he said.
Shinder also attended the University of Pittsburgh, graduating with a degree in religious studies and vocal music performance. During his time there, he was involved in a variety of musical extracurriculars, including the men’s Glee Club and the Pitt marching band.
Shinder first connected with Temple Emanuel in 2024, when he met Cantor Kalix Jacobson at a song leader boot camp conference.
“Kalix saw my backpack that said ‘Pitt Band’ on it,” he recalled “They came over to me and said, ‘Are you in Pittsburgh? Come lead services with me.’”
From there, he led a Shabbat service at Temple Emanuel, before joining the congregation for the High Holidays. He also worked at Rodef Shalom, leading youth High Holiday services.
During his time at Pitt, Shinder ran a club called Healing Harmonies, where he performed music at local retirement homes across the Pittsburgh area. He brought that same philosophy of accessibility to his work with the seniors, playing songs from artists like Carole King, Elton John and Joni Mitchell.
“That music really brings back memories and joy for the residents … like ‘Leaving on a Jet Plane’ — they ate that up,” he recalled, laughing. “The good thing about this music is people can be present in different ways — whether that’s singing, clapping, humming along or just sitting and being present.”
At Temple Emanuel, he shares the stage with Student Cantor Lucy Greenbaum, who leads services on a monthly basis.
“We led services together a couple weeks ago,” he said. “We sat together in my office and said, ‘All right, who wants to do the harmonies? Who wants to lead?’ It was like we’d been doing this forever. We just clicked.”
Greenbaum grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, and has spent the last decade working as a song leader across the country. Most recently, she worked full time as a music director at Congregation Shaare Emeth in St. Louis, Missouri.
“I’ve been taking music lessons basically since I could walk and talk,” she told the Chronicle. “That was always my connection to Judaism — through music. For a long time, I thought I wanted to be a social worker, and I would just do song leading or Jewish music on the side.”
Through her work at Shaare Emeth, Greenbaum recognized that cantorial work exists at the intersection of musicality, spiritual care and social work. Her new role, she says, allows her to provide that vital support to congregants in the South Hills.
Greenbaum just completed her first year of a five-year program at Hebrew Union College’s Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. Shinder hopes to follow a similar path. In the meantime, both hope to grow as spiritual leaders during their time at Temple Emanuel — one song at a time. PJC
Octavia Liku can be reached at oliku@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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