Cantor Susan Caro
A native New Yorker, Cantor Susan Caro joined the clergy of Wilshire Boulevard Temple in 2004, expanding her role over time to be our second Cantor. She shares her time between her Cantorial role here at Wilshire Boulevard Temple, and as a Hospice Chaplain with Kaiser Permanente. Prior to receiving her Masters in Sacred Music and Investiture from the School of Sacred Music at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York in 1993, she graduated with honors from New York University. She proudly serves as the President of the American Conference of Cantors, her professional organization which supports its members in their sacred calling as clergy committed to Judaism and for Jewish music.
After living in Israel, Susan served congregations in New York, New Jersey, Tarzana and Singapore, devoting much of her energy to sacred journeys and spiritual experiences, through the lens of music. Her roots in Jewish music began songleading for many years at Union for Reform Judaism summer camps, with experience spanning years of work with youth and adults in a variety of teaching settings, choral opportunities, performances throughout the United States and Israel, and creative liturgical and spiritual work. Trained in Spiritual Direction, Susan is a fellow of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, as a participant in the first Cantorial cohort and as faculty for the Lay Retreats. She taught for a number of years in Los Angeles at both the Hebrew Union College and the Academy for Jewish Religion.
Susan’s commitment to the ideals of Reform Judaism and the Cantorate is demonstrated by her track record in the Reform Movement. As the President of the American Conference of Cantors, Susan is on the Executive Board of the Union for Reform Judaism, and is an active member of its Joint Commission on Worship, Music and Religious Living of the URJ, where she has been involved for over 15 years including as chair. She has coordinated the breadth of ACC involvement for numerous URJ National and Regional Biennial Conventions; through the years, she chaired a variety of Task Forces for the ACC, served on the faculty of the URJ’s Summer Adult Study Kallah, the URJ’s Commission on Social Action, the National Camp Commission, the URJ-Pacific Southwest Council Executive Board, and is a past chair of the ACC-Pacific Southwest Region. Drawing upon great support and insight from colleagues, Susan was the editor of
Divrei Shir, the curriculum from the ACC for Adult Education in the area of Jewish music. She has contributed her talents to numerous recordings of Jewish music, and is an accomplished flutist, having studied at the Juilliard School of Music.
Passionate also about reading, hiking, nature, needlework, travel and good wine, what is most important to Susan is the blessing of sharing her life with her husband, John Lertzman and their children Marni, Amanda, Ariel, Josh and Michele with their grandchildren, and their dog, Samson.
