Meet Our Rabbi / Cantor

Rabbi/Cantor Rhoda J. Harrison, Ph.D., MSW  was ordained as Cantor by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion after studying at both the Jerusalem and New York campuses and received Rabbinic Ordination while pursuing her Ph.D. in Jewish Studies from the former Baltimore Hebrew University. She served the Reform community in Baltimore, Maryland for the first 25 years of her career serving the historic Har Sinai Congregation and later Temple Emanuel of Baltimore. A native of Philadelphia, she returned to the area in 2018 to be closer to family and to serve Congregation M’kor Shalom during their final years before they merged into Kol Ami of Cherry Hill. In addition to her congregational work, Rabbi Harrison has extensive training and experience as a health care spiritual care professional having worked as a Chaplain in various Trauma Level-1 hospitals in New York City and Philadelphia. Drawing on this work, she has recently earned a Master of Social Work with a specialty in palliative care, passed her licensure exam, and is working as a Bereavement Counselor and Social Worker at Samaritan, a premier hospice and palliative care provider in South Jersey.

A classically trained lyric soprano, it is no wonder Rabbi Harrison earned her cantorial ordination prior to becoming a Rabbi. She weaves her rich and expansive vocal range seamlessly into to her pulpit leadership and her cantorial training deeply informs her teaching and leadership style. Off the bimah, she enjoys performing music of a variety of genres but most especially from theatre and operetta literature. Prior to the COVID pandemic, she performed regularly at the Cabaret at Germano’s Piattini in Baltimore’s Little Italy. She most recently appeared as Fruma Sarah in The Moorestown Theater’s production of Fiddler on the Roof. A versatile musician, she also plays guitar, piano, and ukulele.

Rabbi Harrison is a curious teacher, reflective writer, a liturgical artist, spiritual care & social work professional, and engagement facilitator. An expert on the evolution of the Siddur, she views worship as a form of art and endeavors to craft services to be engaging, connected to tradition, and relevant to the modern world. Her writings have been published most recently in B. Symons, Ed. Prophetic Voices Renewing and Reimagining Haftarah, Goldstein, H.R., & Sacks, J.B., eds. Psalms in the Key of Healing: A Text Study for Clergy, Chaplains and People Living with Illness, and on www.jewishsacredaging.com.

While Rabbi Harrison has several titles, her most favorite role of all is being a mom to her two adult daughters, Ande and Rachel!