The Cantor

The Cantor is not a big fan of the new rabbi.

His first impression was that she would lead us to be too Reform-y (not a real word, I know).

During her weekend visit he basically undermined her "audition" and showed his aggravation at departures she made from the "script." Even though he trained as an actor, he openly showed his aggravation and contempt. He did himself no favors with this behavior, especially since that week's Torah portion was about welcoming the stranger in our midst. The search committee was livid that he might have undermined a promising candidate.

So yesterday he comes up to me and asks for a meeting, saying that I should "straighten him out." This is going to be interesting. He and I have a complicated relationship. He's been a mentor and friend, but he has also disappointed and damaged me. It took a long time, but we've gotten back to "cordial and professional" and that is where I hope we stay.

What matters most is that he is able to have a good, trusting, professional working relationship with her. I hope she challenges him to grow and be the really good cantor that he could possibly be. They have a lot in common -- a performance background, a divorce, a child starting college. There is always tension between rabbis and cantors, but a bad partnership could hurt the congregation.