by Jill Huber
NJJN Bureau Chief/Monmouth

September 9, 2008

Music and religious pride have always been a part of Cantor Joanna M. Alexander’s life. As she assumes her first cantorial pulpit, she plans to bring a sense of that pride and inspiration to Temple Rodeph Torah in Marlboro.

Alexander, who succeeds Cantor Jacqueline Shuchat-Marx, said her journey through Judaism and music was made at a time of spiritual and emotional growth.

“My family was traditional, in that they went to the synagogue and were proud of their heritage and being part of the Reform movement,” said Alexander, who spent her childhood in Chicago. “I grew up with a sense of Zionism. The Jewish homeland is always a place we can go to, and we must protect it.”

When she was nine years old, Alexander said she became aware of a religious shift in her life, when her parents suddenly decided to maintain a kosher home.

“I think they wanted to do something that would bring them closer to Judaism,” said the cantor. “When they began to maintain the dietary laws, they liked the fact that they could think of themselves as Jewish every day, not just on the Sabbath or on Jewish holidays.”

When she was in the third grade, Alexander began to play the flute. She did well in musical competitions, and said those experiences help build her confidence and self-esteem. When she was 13, she took voice lessons with a private teacher and joined the adult choir at Kam Isaiah Israel, a Reform temple near Chicago.

During her confirmation service when she was 16, she performed several musical selections. They caught the ear of Cantor Deborah Bard, who had recently become Kam Isaiah Israel’s cantor.

“She told me that I looked good up there,” Alexander said. “What she said planted a seed in my mind that never really left. She also asked me to sing prayers on the bima.”

Alexander attended New York University’s College of Arts and Sciences.

Although she graduated with a degree in comparative religion, in 2002, by her sophomore year she had realized that she wanted “to become a Jewish clergyperson,” she said. “I loved my religion classes and I loved music. When I told my parents that I wanted to become a cantor, they knew that they had done a good job of instilling Jewish values in me.”

In 2003, she became the Jewish Campus Service Corps representative at Syracuse University. She also married Jacob Alexander (the couple now lives in Rahway), and in 2004, she became a student at the School of Sacred Music at the Reform movement’s Hebrew Union College in New York.

‘Provide insight’

Her first year of study took place in Israel. Living in Jerusalem had a spiritual effect, she said.

“It was amazing to walk through the streets of the city on Yom Kippur,” Alexander said. “There was utter silence and everything was calm. Everyone was part of the day, whether or not they went to synagogue.”

But in 2004, while she was still in Jerusalem, a terrorist bombing occurred in the city.

“It was surreal to be somewhere where terrorism exists and terrorist acts take place,” Alexander said. “It was difficult for all the Americans who were there. The Israelis said everyone must keep going and not let the terrorists control our lives. They were used to living like this. When HUC said they were not going to cancel the Israeli study program, I took the Israelis’ advice — I went on with my life. But it was a year to remember.”

After she concluded her studies in Israel, Alexander returned to HUC. Last May, she received a graduate degree in sacred music and was invested as a cantor.

“I believe that music is the thread that holds us together,” she said. “Jewish children learn music that stays with them throughout their lives — that’s how the thread connects the generations.”

At Rodeph Torah, she said, she would like to take melodies that are hundreds of years old and mix them with newer compositions.

“In the Reform movement, we’re allowed to make changes, but we never ignore tradition,” said Alexander. “These changes can engage congregants of all ages and provide new insight, as we all learn something together. My job is to create a balance of the old and new.”

She said she also plans to use her role as a clergyperson to create relationships between the temple and the community.

“I want to be there for the congregants and the community,” Alexander said. “This is my life’s work.”

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