Rabbi-Cantor Hillary Chorny

Passover Prep 2021: Exploring the Haggadah & Seder with Rabbis Rembaum and Chorny

March 10th, 2021  |  45 mins 39 secs

Rabbi Joel Rembaum in conversation with Rabbi Hillary Chorny shares his insights into the history of the Haggadah and the Pesah seder. Learn about the evolution of traditions both ancient and contemporary as our rabbi emeritus gives an entertaining tour through the upcoming holiday.

Passover Prep 2021: Music of Passover Part 1

March 3rd, 2021  |  52 mins 1 sec

From parody to poetry, from Trope to Tal, Rabbi-Cantor Hillary Chorny takes you on a tour of Passover music and liturgy as it’s evolved from medieval manuscripts to A Cappella viral videos.

Are You Coming Back? - A Personal Conversation About The Jewish Future With Senator Joe Lieberman

March 1st, 2021  |  32 mins 30 secs

In this wide ranging conversation, Rabbi Cantor Hillary Chorny talks with Senator Joe Lieberman an American politician, lobbyist and attorney who served as a United States Senator from Connecticut from 1989 to 2013. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was its nominee for Vice President of the United States in the 2000 election.

Senator Lieberman describes himself as an "observant" Jew. Since the death in 1967 of his grandmother, a deeply religious immigrant, he found renewed interest in religious observance. Senator Lieberman refers to himself as "observant", as opposed to Orthodox, because he doesn't follow the strict Orthodox code and doesn't want to offend the Orthodox. He and his wife keep a kosher home and observe Shabbat.

Are You Coming Back? - A Personal Conversation About The Jewish Future With Abigail Pogrebin

February 22nd, 2021  |  49 mins 50 secs

In this wide ranging conversation, Rabbi Cantor Hillary Chorny talks with Abigail Pogrebin, the author of three books including the most recent, “My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew,” which was a finalist for a National Jewish Book Award. She is also the author of “Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish,” for which she interviewed everyone from Ruth Bader Ginsberg to Steven Spielberg about their Jewish identity — a book that was adapted for the Off-Broadway stage. A former producer for 60 Minutes, Abby anchors her own interview series at the JCC in Manhattan (she’s interviewed Sec. of State Madeline Albright, Malcolm Gladwell, Nora Ephron, Roxane Gay, Jonathan Safran Foer, and many others) and also moderates conversations for The Streicker Center, Shalom Hartman Institute, and UJA Federation. She is the Immediate Past President of Central Synagogue in New York City, whose senior rabbi, Angela Buchdahl, is the first Asian-American to be ordained in America.

Are You Coming Back? - A Personal Conversation About The Jewish Future With Chava Mirel

February 8th, 2021  |  59 mins 30 secs

In this wide ranging conversation, Rabbi Cantor Hillary Chorny talks with Chava Mirel an internationally touring singer, guitarist, composer, recording artist, spiritual leader and activist. Performing in Folk, World Music, Jazz and other genres, Chava imbues her music with the universal themes of hope, caring, connection, inclusion, and womens and environmental issues.

An award-winning Jewish music composer, Chava provides outstanding artist-in-residence services at congregations from coast to coast. She has been featured on the Plenary Stage at Union of Reform Judaism Biennial Convention, and her compositions have been included in compilations and songbooks throughout the Jewish world. She is a recent alumnus of Hadar Institute’s Rising Song Fellowship, and her voice has been featured on multiple recordings by other Jewish musical artists that have gained popularity across denominations.

Shabbath Teaching: Misphatim

February 6th, 2021  |  27 mins 38 secs

Rabbi Hillary Chorny's Shabbat Teaching at Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, on February 6, 2021.

Special Trope: Advanced Chanting - Intro to Shir HaShirim

February 2nd, 2021  |  40 mins 8 secs

Join Cantor Chorny for an exploration of the special trope system used to chant the scrolls that we read on festivals and fasts.

This class was conducted via Zoom on February 2, 2021

Shabbat Teaching: Morning: - Beshalach

January 30th, 2021  |  15 mins 43 secs

Rabbi Adam Kligfeld, Rabbi-Cantor Hillary Chorny, and Rabbi Rebecca Schatz's Shabbat Teaching at Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, on January 30, 2021.

Are You Coming Back? - A Personal Conversation About The Jewish Future With Jodi Berman

January 25th, 2021  |  1 hr 9 mins

In this wide ranging conversation, Rabbi Cantor Hillary Chorny talks with Jodi Berman, Associate Executive Director at Wilshire Boulevard Temple, a large Reform synagogue in Los Angeles, where she has served for 6 and a half years.

She is a consultant, professional trainer, and development coach and has presented and delivered keynote addresses at multiple leadership conferences. She is a certified trainer of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator and other leadership growth tools and has conducted leadership training and Board development for multiple groups around the United States including private companies, Federations, synagogues, non profit agencies, schools and camps, and partners with many of these organizations with regard to their leadership and development needs.

Shabbat Sermon: Morning: - Matzah: Origins of a Treat/Bo

January 23rd, 2021  |  13 mins 9 secs

Rabbi-Cantor Hillary Chorny's Shabbat Sermon at Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, on January 23, 2021.

Navigate And Master The Prayerbook - Bonus Episode: Modifying the Liturgy

January 19th, 2021  |  48 mins 26 secs

Rabbi Cantor Hillary Chorny leads an adventure through the siddur focused on structure, themes and music of the Jewish prayer experience. All Hebrew levels welcome.

This class was conducted at Temple Beth Am Los Angeles via Zoom on Jamuary 19, 2021.

Are You Coming Back? - A Personal Conversation About The Jewish Future With Sara Shapiro-Plevan

January 18th, 2021  |  58 mins 56 secs

In this wide ranging conversation, Rabbi Cantor Hillary Chorny talks with Sara Shapiro-Plevan.

Sara Shapiro-Plevan is all about relationships. Her essential focus: understanding the way relationships influence our ability to improve our practice, understand our work, and engage effectively with others as we build sustainable networks, communities and workplaces. She is the co-founder of the Gender Equity in Hiring in the Jewish Community Project (GEiHP), which works to transform the endemic culture of gender bias that continues to keep women from senior staff positions within Jewish organizations. The GEiHP supports organizations as they ensure that their systems, processes and hiring practices reflect the Jewish values of equity and fairness. By strengthening organizations’ awareness of gender bias and helping them to respond, the GEiHP hopes to see more women rise to positions of leadership. Sara is also the founder of Rimonim Consulting, where she consults primarily with Jewish organizations, schools, congregations, and foundations to develop a networked, collaborative culture. She believes powerfully in our human capacity for dialogue and partnership, and in that vein, works to support shifts from hierarchical structures to relational, flatter, networked relationships. Sara will complete her doctorate in education from the Davidson School of The Jewish Theological Seminary in 2021, and her research aims to enable individuals, teams and communities to understand how they best work in relationship so that they might begin to shift their capacity to work in productive, connected ways to realize their--and their communities'--hopes and dreams.

Shabbat Teaching: Parshat Bo: Telling the Story

January 16th, 2021  |  27 mins 1 sec

Rabbi Hillary Chorny's Shabbat Teaching at Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, on January 16, 2021.

Are You Coming Back? - A Personal Conversation About The Jewish Future With Joey Weisenberg

January 11th, 2021  |  1 hr 1 min

In this wide ranging conversation Rabbi Cantor Hillary Chorny talks with Joey Weisenberg. A virtuosic multi-instrumental musician, singer, and composer, Joey has devoted himself to opening up the sounds of people singing together in community. The founder and director of Hadar’s Rising Song Institute, which aims to cultivate the grassroots musical-spiritual creativity of the Jewish people, Joey works to educate and train communities around the world to unlock their musical-spiritual potential and make music a vibrant, joy-filled force in Jewish life.

Joey is the author of Building Singing Communities, a practical guide to bringing people together in song, as well as The Torah of Music, a treasury of Jewish teachings and insights about the spiritual nature of music, which received the National Jewish Book Award in 2017.

A devoted student and teacher of ancient and traditional Jewish melodies, Joey also composes new nigunim that have moved and inspired Jews around the world. He has released seven albums with the Hadar Ensemble, most recently Nigunim Vol. VII: Songs of Ascent (2019).

Shabbat Teaching: How Could I Rejoice? When Enemies Fall.

January 9th, 2021  |  23 mins 35 secs

Rabbi-Cantor Hillary Chorny's Shabbat Afternoon Teaching at Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, on January 9, 2021.

Are You Coming Back? - A Personal Conversation About The Jewish Future With Rabbi Adam Greenwald

December 14th, 2020  |  51 mins 20 secs

In this conversation with Rabbi Cantor Hillary Chorny, Rabbi Adam Greenwald talks about life as non-pulpit clergy in Los Angeles, reflecting on this past year’s journey in spirituality, parenting, and leading a global introduction to Judaism network. He reflects on the dearth of spontaneity in this environment, and the ache that we all have to be missed when we’re not present. We wonder together: what does it even mean to pray these days without the true presence of community to surround you?

Rabbi Adam Greenwald is Vice President for Jewish Engagement at American Jewish University, where he oversees the Maas Center for Jewish Journeys and the Miller Introduction to Judaism Program. He also serves as a Lecturer in Rabbinics at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies. Rabbi Greenwald is the editor of On One Foot an introduction to Judaism textbook in wide use across the United States. In 2016, he received the Covenant Foundation's Pomegranate Prize in Jewish Education. Rabbi Greenwald is married to Anne Hromadka, a curator and arts educator, and they are the proud parents of Gracie