Student Spotlight: Cantor Seth Ettinger

With the 2024 fall semester in full swing, we are delighted to highlight the talented and dedicated student body.

Today we are thrilled to spotlight rabbinical student, Cantor Seth Ettinger.

“I knew that I wanted to be a cantor from the time that I was eight years old.    Growing up in Palm Springs, I was trained as a Junior Cantor by my Hazzan and I was taken aback by the comforting power of music and how it can hold people in a spiritual space necessary for healing.”

Cantor Ettinger received his Masters of Music Degree in Hazzanut and Jewish Sacred Music and the Ordination of Hazzan from AJRCA in 2014. He then served as the first full time Hazzan Sheini or Associate Cantor at Wilshire Boulevard Temple for five years.

He expanded his knowledge of liturgical repertoire under the tutelage of Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s Senior Cantor, Hazzan Don Gurney, a faculty member of the Academy. From Wilshire Boulevard Temple, Cantor Ettinger took the programming skills and liturgical background he had learned and blazed a trail at Congregation Beth Israel, the oldest and largest reform synagogue in Phoenix, AZ. He furthered the century long spiritual soundtrack of the congregation and turned Congregation Beth Israel into the host congregation for all Jewish community-wide musical events. Cantor Ettinger used his knowledge of both Jewish liturgy and Christian spirituals to form a long lasting fellowship between Congregation Beth Israel and Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, the largest African-American Baptist Church in Arizona. Cantor Ettinger now serves as the Cantor of the historic Temple Beth-El of San Antonio, the oldest and largest reform congregation in South Texas.

Always a seeker, Cantor Ettinger believed that his spiritual side needed to be deepened in order to better serve his congregants. A Jewish leader is not just a voice but also a philosopher that can infuse counseling with Jewish values learned through text study. To accomplish this goal, Cantor Ettinger re-enrolled at AJRCA in the rabbinic program.  While a cantor comforts through music, Seth believes that the extensive courses in Jewish text and spiritual learning that he gets in the rabbinic program at AJRCA will enable him to better counsel and challenge all the spiritual needs of his congregants. He finds that learning in a transdenominational environment where one studies with students that are followers of Renewal, Reform Chasidic, Orthodox and Conservative Jewish viewpoints enables him to grow and discover his own Judaism and meet people where they are. Exposure to various textual resources explored at AJRCA has enhanced his ability to counsel and support the 1,000 family congregation he now serves.

Cantor Ettinger’s spiritual learning at AJRCA has resulted in his own self exploration and reflection; essential elements for successful pastoral counseling. As he said, “Knowing who one is is essential before standing in front of and leading a congregation.”  Da lifnei mi atah omed. Know before whom you stand.

Written by Susan Casamassima