Cantor David Berger
Cantor David Berger
Cantor David Berger has served as cantor of KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation in Chicago since 2014 and is Scholar-in-Residence for the American Conference of Cantors. Previously, he was cantor of Congregation Tikvat Jacob Beth Torah n Manhattan Beach, CA (2009–2014). In addition to his synagogue work, Cantor Berger is a PhD candidate in Medieval Rabbinics at the Chicago Theological Seminary, where he is writing his dissertation on cantors in medieval Ashkenaz.
Originally from the Chicago suburbs, Cantor Berger earned a BA in Religious Studies, focusing on Jewish Studies, from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2001. After teaching English in Kiryat Gat, Israel, he moved to New York to pursue graduate studies, completing an MA in Jewish Philosophy at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2003. He then attended the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion, receiving cantorial ordination in 2007. From 2011 to 2012, he studied at the Melton Centre for Jewish Education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem as part of the Fellowship for Excellence in Jewish Education.
While pursuing his MA, Cantor Berger co-founded Kol Zimrah, an independent, music-centered Shabbat minyan that thrived for a decade on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. At HUC, he distinguished himself in traditional chazzanut, winning the Cantor Israel Goldstein Prize twice and receiving the Lawrence Hoffman Prize in Liturgy for his creative ritual analysis. For his master’s thesis, he produced the first English translations of selections from Sefer Maharil, a 15th-century legal text rich in insights on medieval Jewish music.
In 2007, Cantor Berger became the first ordained cantor of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, New York City’s synagogue for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, after serving as cantorial intern from 2005 to 2007, working closely with Music Director Joyce Rosenzweig. Beyond his tenure at CBST, he has served the LGBTQ+ Jewish community in numerous capacities, including extensive volunteer work at Jerusalem’s Open House, serving three years on the faculty of the Nehirim LGBTQ Jewish spirituality retreat, and leading services and teaching at the 2006 Queer Shabbaton in Amsterdam and at WorldPride Jerusalem.
Recognized as a leading voice in the Jewish musical scene, Cantor Berger has been featured as a soloist and a scholar in residence at the North American Jewish Choral Festival. Reviewed by The Forward as “impeccable” for his performance at the CBST Shabbat Shirah concert, Cantor Berger has appeared in concerts in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Israel, London and Rome. His first CD, “Chalamti Chalom, I Dreamt a Dream” – a collection of Jewish peace songs, was praised as “eloquent” by Hadassah Magazine.
Recognized as a leading voice in the Jewish music scene, Cantor Berger has appeared as a soloist and scholar-in-residence at the North American Jewish Choral Festival. The Forward praised his performance at CBST’s Shabbat Shirah concert as “impeccable,” and he has performed in concerts across Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Israel, London, and Rome. His debut CD, Chalamti Chalom, I Dreamt a Dream—a collection of Jewish peace songs—was hailed as “eloquent” by Hadassah Magazine. His most recent CD, "Refuge: Art Songs by American Jewish Refugee Composers" was released by Arcantus, a classical music label based in Germany.
Cantor Berger is a sought-after teacher and scholar of Jewish music. He has led webinars for the American Conference of Cantors, the Union for Reform Judaism, the Women of Reform Judaism, and others; worked with Jewish seniors through Road Scholar; and taught rabbinical students at the American Jewish University and both rabbinical and cantorial students at all four campuses of Hebrew Union College. His work reflects a deep interest in the diverse musical and liturgical traditions of Jewish communities around the world.
Cantor Berger's scholarly writing has been published by the Journal of Synagogue Music, the Jewish Music Research Centre at Hebrew University, in the Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception, as well as in books published by the CCAR.
A recognized leader in the Reform movement, Cantor Berger wrote the weekly Torah commentary on Leviticus for the 10 Minutes of Torah newsletter in 2020 and led Shabbat worship at the URJ’s 150th Anniversary Gathering in Washington, D.C., in 2023. He currently serves on the advisory board for a forthcoming Torah commentary from the Central Conference of American Rabbis. He is also a frequent contributor to and editor of new volumes of Jewish music through Transcontinental Music Publications , and is especially proud of his work on the three-volume Libi B’mizrach series, showcasing Jewish music from Israeli progressive congregations.
Cantor Berger’s husband, Rabbi D’ror Chankin-Gould was ordained at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the American Jewish University and is currently serving as Assistant Rabbi at Anshe Emet Synagogue in Chicago, IL. Together they are the proud fathers of Matan and Avi.
