The Temple Welcomes Cantor Lauren Adesnik

Search Committee Video

As part of the hiring process, The Temple Clergy Search Committee created a video to showcase our Temple. Here is the video they prepared that helped us recruit and hire Cantor Lauren Adesnik.

Message from our Temple President with the announcement:

Dear Temple Members,

As you know, our congregation made the decision two years ago to hire a cantor as the next clergy person upon the retirement of Rabbi Rapport. After an extensive search process by our search committee, I am thrilled to announce that Cantor Lauren Adesnik will be that person. She will start her new position here in Louisville in July 2022. Cantor Adesnik is moving here from the Atlanta area with her husband Moshe, nine-month-old daughter Lavender, and their beloved poodle, Wally. She and her husband are thrilled to move to Louisville and start a new chapter in their lives. They cannot wait to join our Temple family and I expect they will be an excellent fit.

The Cantorial Search Committee was overwhelmingly impressed by Cantor Adesnik’s many talents and warm, engaging personality. Her evaluation process included several Zoom interviews, many phone calls with our committee chairpersons and staff, references, and a three day in person visit to Louisville in early January. At the end of her visit to our congregation, the search committee met and universally chose to offer her our cantor position.  I am pleased to announce that her contract was formally signed last Wednesday evening.

Many thanks to our committee chairpersons, Margie Kommor and Steve Shapiro. Their leadership has been exceptional. I would also like to thank the entire Cantorial Search Committee for their dedication and professionalism. It has been a grueling and time consuming process but I truly believe we got the best candidate. 

A transition team is already in place and planning for Cantor Lauren’s arrival. We expect to hold many events in the coming year to help bring them into our family and introduce them to the community. I encourage all of you to participate in welcoming them to their new home.

Thank you,
Michael Salamon, President

Message from Cantor Lauren:

Dear Temple Members,

Wayfarer there is no path
Wayfarer, the only way
Is your footprints and no other.
Wayfarer, there is no way.
Make your way by going farther.
By going farther, make your way
Till looking back at where you’ve wandered,
You look back on that path you may
Not set foot on from now onward.
Wayfarer, there is no way;
Only wake-trails on the waters

-Antonio Machado (Proverbios y Cantares)

I wrote these words to my current synagogue as a part of my beginning goodbyes and announcement of my thrilling and humbling acceptance to be your cantor at The Temple. I imagine the poet contemplating his journeys in life as he is walking along a beach, or rowing a boat amidst a crystal flat lake. In front of him lies open space, no trail, no markers or signs directing him where to go. Each path in life he forged by imprinting his footprints forward, farther and farther until such point he turns to reflect and savor one moment or another and notices the indentations his feet have left in the sand grains, or the ripples extending outward behind his boat. And then, quite simply, he continues on his way, knowing he will stop here and there to collect his thoughts and stay awhile before continuing forward once again.

Throughout this placement journey, I have felt like that wayfarer. I stop, recollect, and see the line of markings in the sand, the ripples in the water extending back in time to 2013, when I became an ordained cantor and Moshe and I came to our first home in Atlanta.  They extend through my time in seminary, to Israel, and to the moment I heard my call towards the cantorate. A new ripple is forming now, as Moshe, Lavender, Wally (our standard poodle) and I begin to make our way to our new home, with all of you at The Temple in Louisville, Kentucky.

As I stop in this moment I hold the thrilling and humbling joy and gratitude I am experiencing in becoming your cantor. Our first conversation began just a little over three months ago. I have truly loved moving along with each one of the clergy, staff, lay leadership, and search committee in this process. I think we have a beautiful shidduch (match), and I am looking forward to all of the moments we will share together in prayer, healing, laughter, learning, singing, and building upon this fantastic community I feel so lucky to be a part of. I look forward to weaving the colors of music through our connection, to God, and back down again surrounding each of us.

“Wayfarer” explains that we may look back and review our journey, however, we may not step backwards into that path we forged. The only way to continue the journey is to move farther forward. I am blessed to have built a beautiful journey from California, to Israel, to New York, Atlanta and now I am so excited to be creating new ripples, journeys, imprints, and memories with all of you and with the extended Jewish and greater communities of Louisville. Each step of guidance, mentorship, partnership, collaboration, and leadership along the way has shaped my life and cantorate and the abundance of our future together is so very bright. I cannot wait to create amazing “wake-trails on the waters” together. 

בברכה, ו׳ֹשִרַה, וּב׳ֹשָלוֹם
B’vracha v’Shira u’v’Shalom, 

Cantor Lauren