Justin Callis is the new cantor at Kol Ami in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and he wears a bow tie to work every day. On his first day at his new job, he was welcomed in a way that would make anyone feel comfortable and smile.
“When I pulled into the driveway here, I saw the full staff as well as many members of the community standing outside with a 15-foot sign that said, ‘Welcome Cantor Callis,’ and everyone was wearing bow ties,” he said. “I just felt so good about walking through the door. It was so special that everybody went to that kind of effort; it was really extraordinary.”
For Kol Ami, who hired Callis to start at the beginning of July, the feeling is mutual, explained Stephanie Zinn, one of the synagogue’s vice presidents and a co-chair of the cantorial search committee.
“We had many Zoom interviews and Cantor Callis just rose head and shoulders above so many of the candidates. He was very interactive and his mensch-iness came through. When we brought him in in-person, it was the same. He was very consistent with how he presented initially, and listening to [his recordings], you get the chills,” Zinn said.
The Kol Ami search committee found that, even though Callis only graduated from the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music this past May, he has a voice far beyond his years.
“He’s just out of school, but he already has the sound of a professional who’s been in the field for a long time. He composes his own music. His talent was something that really got our attention. Our committee was made up of many different folks, representing as many cohorts that belong to the synagogue as possible,” Zinn said. “He [has] a kind of skill and longevity to his voice. When he was here in person auditioning, he moved many of us to tears.”
For Callis the entire interview process showed him that he could be part of this community moving forward. When he and his wife came to visit, he said speaking with the members and leaders was “lovely.”
He got to lead a small service for select members of the committee and work with the choir. He was “delighted” with those opportunities.
This past weekend, Callis had one of his favorite days on the job so far: He worked with young families and their children for a session of outdoor playtime and Havdalah.
“It was really wonderful to see both the joy and the excitement of all the kids running around on the playground and playing with the bubble machines. How do you argue with a bunch of four-year-olds in the bubble machine every day and also be able to say, ‘OK, now we’re going to gather for a small moment of sacred music?’ and just to see everybody so equally excited about that opportunity as they were briefing outside,” Callis said. “That was really special.”
Callis loves holidays big and small, but his favorite day of worship is Yom Kippur. He said he recognizes that this is atypical, but he appreciates the reflection that the day asks of each Jew.
“I know that’s a bit strange as everybody goes, ‘Don’t you get hungry?’ but there’s so many great things going on [on Yom Kippur], and I find the liturgy really important and meaningful,” Callis said. “I love the opportunity to connect and bring together so many different people and all of the special melodies and all of that.”
In the coming weeks, there are a total of 18 events that are meant to introduce Callis to the Kol Ami community and vice versa. There is one area in which the Connecticut native needs a lot of work: his Philadelphia fluency.
“Tonight, I’m really looking forward to ice cream with members of the community — or, water ice — sorry, I should say that, right? We are in Philadelphia,” Callis said.